What Could Have Been
by JourneyRocks13
Summary: What would have happened if Harry had been willing to help Ginny after their encounter in the Chamber of Secrets?
1. The Chamber of Secrets

**The Chamber of Secrets**

"Wait, what are you doing? No, no!" Riddle yelled as Harry sunk the basilisk fang into the diary. Riddle screamed and held his chest as light began to escape his chest. Harry stuck the fang into the other side of the book and light began to escape Riddle's face. Harry closed the diary and sunk the fang into the cover. Riddle left out a final scream before he disappeared in a blinding ray of light. Then the chamber was silent except for the dripping of the fang and Ginny stirring a few feet away from him. Harry crawled over to her and she sat up.

"Harry, I'm so sorry! I opened the Chamber of Secrets and I attacked everyone. I swear it wasn't my fault though, Riddle made me do it! I tried to tell you at breakfast but I didn't want to say anything in front of Percy. I've looked forward to coming here ever since Bill came and now I'm going to be expelled! What are mom and dad going to say? Wait, where's Riddle and his giant snake? He was right here last thing I remembere he w" Ginny said, sobbing gently. Harry showed her the fang hole in the diary and pointed off toward the dead basilisk.

"They are both gone. They can't hurt you anymore" Harry told her.

"You probably hate me for this" Ginny cried, her tears falling freely down her face. Harry looked deep into her eyes before continuing.

"Ginny, please listen to me. I don't blame you for anything, but you need to get yourself out of this chamber. Follow the chamber back away from Slytherin's head and you'll find Ron" Harry said.

"Harry, you're hurt" Ginny whispered when she saw Harry's arm. At that note Fawkes came and landed on Harry's arm. The phoenix planted a few tears on Harry's arm and the wound on his arm disappeared. Harry stood up and pulled a crying Ginny into his arms and looked down at her.

"Ginny, don't worry, you're safe now" Harry told her.

"I'm going to be expelled" she cried.

"I promise you, I will do everything in my power to make sure you don't" Harry promised. She didn't reply, but Harry stood up and helped her back to Ron and Lockhart. She was crying silently into Harry's shoulder the entire time, but she put on a brave face for Ron.

Ron ran up and hugged his sister warmly, not noticing her tears, but it seemed that he didn't notice anything wrong with her.

"So how are we going to get out of here?" Ron asked.

"I don't know, it does feel like we're stuck" Harry admitted.

"It's too steep to climb" Ron said.

"We could try levitating ourselves up" Harry suggested. They tried, and when that plan failed, they sat down to think. Fawkes had flown over and landed on Harry's shoulder again, but Harry didn't see anything about it.

"Harry, that's it! We can fly out!" Ron exclaimed.

"Don't tell me you think Fawkes can carry all of us out of here" Harry said, shaking his head.

"It's worth a try" Ron suggested.

"Alright, Fawkes can grab onto Lockhart's robes with his claws. Ron, you grab Lockhart's hand, I'll grab yours and Ginny will grab mine. Let's hope this works" Harry said.

"Harry, I don't think this is such a good idea" Ginny whispered.

"Don't worry, I'll hold onto you. No harm will come to you" Harry promised.

"You promise?" Ginny asked, looking at her feet.

"Yes, I promise no harm will come to you as long as I am here to protect you" Harry told her and she hugged him. Harry grabbed onto Ron's hand and Ron grabbed onto Lockhart's. Fawkes grabbed onto Lockhart's foot and they began to fly out of the chamber. Ginny's arms were locked around Harry's waist and she dug the side of her face into Harry's stomach. She was looking up at Harry with envy, but still had tears in her eyes. Harry gave a small smile at her when they got up into Moaning Myrtle's bathroom.

"You're back" Myrtle said, looking exasperated.

"Don't sound so disappointed" Harry said, smirking.

"Well I was just thinking that if you hadn't come back, you were welcome to share my toilet" Myrtle said. Harry looked over in horror at Ron and scowled when Ron laughed.

"Harry, I think Myrtle has grown fond of you. Look out Ginny, you've got competition" Ron said. Harry rolled his eyes and looked down at Ginny's tear stroked face. She didn't seem to realize what was being said in the bathroom about her crush on Harry.

They walked out of the bathroom and up toward Dumbledore's office.

"Sherbet Lemon" Harry said. The gargoyle opened and Harry led Ginny, Ron, and Lockhart up to Dumbledore's office.

He knocked on the door and let go of Ginny.

"Come in" Dumbledore called.

"Ginny!" Mrs. Weasley screamed when they got into the office. She had been crying in front of the fire, but when Ginny came in, she and Mr. Weasley jumped at their daughter.

Harry, however, wasn't looking at them. He was looking across the desk where Professor Dumbledore was sitting there with beaming eyes and Professor McGonagall was sitting, clutching her chest and letting out some strained breaths.

But Harry didn't look at them for long, because he was taken off his feet literally by Mrs. Weasley.

"You saved her! You saved her! How did you do it?" Mrs. Weasley screamed.

"I think we'd all like to know that" Professor McGonagall said.

Harry took a deep breath and told them all about how he had been hearing voices. He told them how Hermione had found out about the Basilisk using the pipes as transportation. He told them how he and Ron had followed the spiders into the forest and how Aragog told them about Hagrid's innocence and where the last victim of the basilisk had died. He told them about he and Ron had guessed that Moaning Myrtle had been the victim and that the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets might be in the bathroom she refused to leave.

"Very well, you found the entrance while breaking over 100 school rules in the process. Now please tell us all how on earth you got out of there alive, Potter" McGonagall said when Harry paused.

Harry had been talking for nearly 20 minutes, but he continued anyways. He told them about Fawkes' timely arrival and the sorting hat giving him the sword. But then he faltered. He had not mentioned Riddle's diary or Ginny yet, but he was running out of time. Ginny was standing by the fireplace with her head on her mother's shoulder, tears still flowing freely down her face. Harry was panicking. He didn't want Ginny to get expelled but with Tom Riddle's diary being destroyed, there was no way to prove that he had been the one who forced her to do everything.

Harry instinctively looked up and Dumbledore who smiled slightly, the firelight glowing off his glasses.

"What interests me the most is how Lord Voldemort was able to enchant Ginny when my sources tell me he is hiding in the forests of Albania" Dumbledore said.

"What? You know who enchanting Ginny? What are you talking about?" Mr. Weasley asked.

"It was this diary. Riddle wrote in it when he was 16" Harry said, tossing the diary to Dumbledore.

"But what does that have to do with Ginny?" Mr. Weasley asked.

"I've been writing in it all year" Ginny sobbed.

"I wrote in it as well. So any punishment that Ginny goes through will have to be taken out on me as well" Harry said before anybody else could say anything.

"You realize that you could very well be getting expelled. Don't you realize that, Potter?" McGonagall asked.

"I know what I have to go through. Ginny won't go through it alone" Harry promised.

"That is a very noble action, Harry, but it is unnecessary. There will be no punishment. Older and wiser wizards have been hoodwinked by Lord Voldemort. Now, I think it would be wise for Ms. Weasley to be taken by her parents up to the hospital wing. Ron, go with your parents and sister" Dumbledore said. They all left before Dumbledore turned to Harry and Lockhart.

"What happened to Lockhart?" McGonagall asked.

"He tried to use a memory charm on me and Ron's wand backfired" Harry explained.

"Well, Minerva, will you take Professor Lockhart to the hospital wing? I presume he will need to be sent to St. Mungo's soon. I must speak to Harry privately" Dumbledore said. Harry watched the door close and he gulped when Dumbledore looked down at him calmly.

"Well Harry, I told you that if you broke any more rules that I would have to expel you. But I guess this proves that even the best of us can eat our words. You and Mr. Weasley will receive special awards for services to the school. Now that that is over, I want to thank you. You must have shown me great loyalty down in the Chamber when you met Tom Riddle. That is the only thing that could have called Fawkes to you" Dumbledore said. Harry grinned when Dumbledore stroked the Phoenix.

"Riddle said I was like him. But I don't think I'm like him at all. I mean, I'm in Gryffindor and he's in Slytherin. How are we alike?" Harry asked.

"Tom Riddle admires many characteristics about you, Harry. Along with being able to speak Parseltongue, which is Salazar Slytherin's gift himself, you have resourcefulness, determination, and of course, just like your father, a certain disregard for the rules. Yet the sorting hat placed you in Gryffindor, and I think you know why" Dumbledore said.

"It only put me in Gryffindor because I asked not to be put in Slytherin" Harry told him.

"Exactly, it is your choices that set you apart from Tom Riddle. But if you need proof that you belong in Gryffindor, I suggest you take a closer look at this" Dumbledore said, handing Harry the sword.

"Godric Gryffindor" Harry whispered.

"Only a true Gryffindor could pull that out of the hat" Dumbledore said, his eyes twinkling. Harry nodded and he turned his head when Lucius Malfoy entered the room with Dobby in tow.

Harry proceeded to free Dobby before he went to the feast. The feast lasted all night and all exams were canceled, but other than that, the rest of the term went pretty much calmly.

Ginny, however, still wasn't speaking much and she wasn't hanging out anywhere near anybody except for Harry. Even with Harry, she didn't say much, at least until the train ride home.

* * *

><p>Back on the train home, Ginny and Harry were sitting across from Ron and Hermione. Ginny was sitting right next to Harry, her head on his shoulder while Ron and Hermione kept their distance from each other on the other bench.<p>

Suddenly the door opened and Malfoy came into the compartment.

"What do you want, Malfoy?" Ron demanded.

"I just heard the rumors about the Heir of Slytherin dating the youngest Weasley" Malfoy said.

"They are not dating!" Hermione snapped.

"Ah, well I guess that shouldn't surprise me. Even Potter can do better" Malfoy said, smirking lightly.

At that comment, Harry stood up and walked over to Malfoy. Ginny tried to stop him, but he shook his arm free of her grip.

"Get out" Harry hissed.

"Make me" Malfoy told him. They stared into each other's eyes, waiting for one of them to make the first move. Harry backed away a few steps and Malfoy laughed.

"Well, I guess that proves it. Look Weasley, if you want a real man, come to my compartment" Malfoy said, winking at Ginny. Harry had enough and he punched Malfoy right in the jaw as hard as he could. Malfoy crumbled to the ground outside the compartment in front of Crabbe and Goyle. Harry slammed the door before moving back to his seat next to Ginny.

"Nice punch" Ron commented.

"I'm generally opposed to violence, but I'm willing to make an exception in this case" Hermione said, smiling slightly.

"I have to say, Malfoy definitely had that one coming" Ron said.

"Ron, Hermione, can we speak to you for a moment?" Fred asked.

"It is very important. By the way, nice punch, Harry" George said. Ron and Hermione looked at each other and they followed Fred and George out of the room. When they were all out of sight, Ginny looked up at Harry.

"Thank you, Harry" Ginny whispered.

"Thank me for?" Harry asked.

"Thank you for defending me" Ginny said softly, looking down.

"What's wrong?" Harry asked.

"I just never thought that you would be willing to defend me. I thought I was just somebody you never wanted to be around, somebody you would never notice" Ginny said softly, not gazing up from the ground. Harry put his hand on her cheek and forced her to look into his eyes.

"I don't want to ever hear you say that, Ginny. I know you are a little torn up about what happened this year, but if you ever need anybody to talk to, you can write to me. I would love to talk to you" Harry told her.

"You don't need to do that for me. I don't want to waste your time" Ginny said, looking anywhere but in Harry's eyes.

"Ginny, don't even say that. I don't want you to look down on yourself because of this. I don't care what happened this year. I still want to be your friend" Harry told her.

"How can you not blame me for this? I almost got you killed!" Ginny said, crying softly into Harry's shoulder.

"Ginny, it wasn't your fault that this happened. It's mine" Harry told her.

"How is it your fault?" Ginny asked.

"Voldemort attacked you because you are my best friend's little sister. If I wasn't around, you wouldn't have been taken into the Chamber of Secrets, Ron wouldn't have broken his wand, and Voldemort wouldn't be near any of you! Without me, everybody would be safe, and none of this would have happened" Harry told her.

"Maybe that is true, but Voldemort would still be killing everyone, and he wouldn't have disappeared. So you saved the entire Wizarding World" Ginny said, wiping her tears.

"It seems like we both have some guilt to work out. Maybe we can work it out over summer" Harry told her.

"I'd like that" Ginny said, smiling. Without thinking, she pulled him into a hug, and he hugged her back. But neither of them noticed Ron and Hermione come into the compartment.

"What's that about?" Hermione asked.

"Nothing" Ginny said, letting go of Harry and looking down at her feet. Harry sensed her embarrassment and decided to change the subject.

"So what did Fred and George want?" Harry asked.

"Oh, they just wanted to know if Ron and I are involved in a relationship" Hermione said, blushing deeply.

"About time you two got together" Harry said, winking.

"Look, the chances of Hermione and I getting together are about the chances of you and Ginny getting together, mate" Ron told him.

"So that must be a guarantee" Ginny said, grabbing Harry's hand. Ron looked like he had a heart attack, Hermione's mouth was hanging open, and Harry was looking down at Ginny with confusion.

"What are you talking about?" Harry asked. At that, Ginny burst out laughing.

"You should have seen your faces! Your reactions were priceless" Ginny said through her laughs.

"Don't even joke about that" Ron whispered.

"Who said she was joking?" Harry asked, winking at Ginny.

Harry and Ginny burst out laughing at Ron's face before looking at each other to share the same thought.

It was going to be a fun summer.

* * *

><p>Author's Note: Well there you go. This story won't follow the official story perfectly, but it will still be a HPGW and RW/HG story. Read and Review and tell me how I can improve. Thank you all!


	2. Back to the Burrow

**Back to the Burrow**

The four friends got off the train together and said their goodbyes. Well, first they laughed at the big bruise that had formed on Malfoy's jaw.

"Hey, Harry. Wont your aunt and uncle be proud of you once you tell them what happened this year?" Ginny asked him.

"Are you joking? All the times I could have died and I didn't? They'll be furious" Harry said, smiling slightly. When hugs were exchanged between the four friends, coincidentally Harry and Ginny had a longer hug than anybody else. But then Harry went toward his Aunt and Uncle.

"Get in the car, boy. When we get back to the house you need to get to work. Aunt Marge is coming next week" Vernon told him when Harry got his trunk into the trunk of the car. Harry rolled his eyes but he got into the back of the car.

Harry kept silent against the numerous insults, and he took his trunk up to his room when they got to #12 Privet Drive. He went back down and he took Hedwig's cage back up to his room. Harry sighed and looked out the window, knowing that it was going to be a long summer.

* * *

><p>Harry walked down 7 days after he got back from Hogwarts and he saw Vernon's Sister Marge already around the table. He had already sent Hedwig to the Burrow for the week and when he got down, he heard Marge talking about Harry's parents. Harry ate his breakfast in silence and he read his book on the floor in silence, but eventually Marge crossed the line.<p>

"So, what did that Potter do?" Marge asked.

"He was unemployed" Vernon said.

"That doesn't surprise me" Marge muttered. Harry was seething with anger, but it wasn't shown for the most part.

"He was a good for nothing, lazy, bastard who died in a car crash, probably drunk" Marge said.

"My parents didn't die in a car crash" Harry snapped.

"Your parents died in a car crash, you dirty little liar, and they left you on the doorstep of your hard working relatives. You are an ungrateful, insolent little bitch" Marge snapped.

She looked to be swelling with anger, but the swelling didn't stop. She swelled up until she was a monstrous balloon. Harry saw the three Dursleys follow her outside, trying to keep her on the ground, and he went to his room. He grabbed his trunk and all of his things, and he took it all downstairs. Then he left.

"Get back in here, boy! Get back in here and set her right!" Uncle Vernon yelled. Harry ignored him and kept walking.

Harry walked a few blocks away before he collapsed onto the sidewalk. Harry shook his head angrily. He knew that he had broken the law so badly that the Ministry should be swooping down on him.

"If I already got expelled, then a bit more magic couldn't hurt. Maybe I should bewitch my trunk to be light as a feather and fly to London" Harry thought. But then he felt a trickle on the back of his neck. It felt like he was being watched.

"Lumos" Harry muttered. He looked around and saw a giant black dog with piercing eyes. He backed up, tripped over his trunk and fell into the gutter. When he fell, sparks exploded from his wand and hit his trunk. The lock exploded and the trunk opened. Harry began to put his things back into his trunk before he heard a honk. He turned and jumped out of the way of a bright light. He looked up to see a triple deck purple bus. Harry rubbed his eyes, thinking that he was just going crazy, but then a man came out.

"Welcome to the Knight Bus. We transport witches and wizards to wherever they need to go" Stan said.

"How much will it cost to get to Diagon Alley?" Harry asked.

"15 sickles" Stan said. Harry grabbed the money from his trunk and helped Stan bring his things onto the bus. Harry laid down on one of the beds and he closed his eyes. Before he knew it, he was in Diagon Alley.

* * *

><p>Harry got off the bus and began dragging his broken trunk through Diagon Alley. He went to Wiseacre's Wizarding Equipment to see if he could get his trunk repaired. When he got in, an old man was behind the counter.<p>

"Can I help you, young man?" he asked.

"Yes, the lock on my trunk is broken. Can you repair it?" Harry asked. The old man came around the counter and looked at the trunk briefly before shaking his head.

"No, this trunk is impossible to repair. But I do have one replacement" the old man said.

"Can I see it?" Harry asked. The old man led Harry into the back room to a simple looking trunk, but it had 7 locks.

"This trunk is basically 7 trunks in one. It also has a spell that makes it light enough to carry one somebody's back, but the wheels on the bottom work better. You don't need to get a cart because the trunk also doubles as a cart. There is a full house in the trunk and you could live in there forever as long as you have food and water" the old man said.

"How much is it?" Harry asked.

"For you, Mr. Potter, 5000 galleons" the old man said.

"I need to go get money out of my bank account" Harry said. The old man nodded and Harry ran to the bank. He told the goblin that he needed 5000 galleons and soon, he was back to Wiseacre's store. Harry paid the old man and switched everything from his old trunk into his new trunk before leaving. He rolled the trunk behind him and he went to the Leaky Cauldron.

Harry sat down and was about to order a drink before he heard somebody call his name. Harry turned to see Mr. Weasley walking his way.

"What are you doing in Diagon Alley, Harry?" Mr. Weasley asked.

"I think you already know the answer to that question, Mr. Weasley" Harry said. Mr. Weasley worked at the Ministry of Magic so he should know that Harry had broken the law.

"You're right, Harry. The Minister sent me to find you. He said that there will be no punishment to your actions and he has told me to take you back to the Burrow for the rest of the summer as a little surprise for Ron and Ginny" Mr. Weasley said.

"I don't want to be a bother" Harry said.

"Nonsense, let's get back, shall we?" Mr. Weasley said. Harry grabbed his trunk and went after him. Harry saw Mr. Weasley grab a pocket-watch and motion for him to grab on. Harry did and he felt the familiar feeling of being pulled through his stomach and seconds later, he saw the familiar look of the Burrow.

Harry smiled and pulled his trunk through the front door after Mr. Weasley, but he made sure to stay hidden for the time mu he

"Everybody gather around, I have a little surprise for everyone" Mr. Weasley called out.

"What is it?" all of the Weasley's except for Percy asked.

"Look who is going to be staying with us for the rest of the summer" Mr. Weasley said. Then, Harry came into the door and smiled.

"Hello" Harry said simply. He couldn't say any more before Ginny ran up and literally jumped into him. When she let go, Harry laughed and fixed his t-shirt.

"Wow, if that is the welcome I get every time that I come over, I'm coming over once a week more often" Harry joked. Fred and George laughed and shook hands with Harry. Ron and Harry hugged a welcome before Harry hugged Mrs. Weasley.

"Now that all of our welcomes are complete, I hope you're hungry" Mrs. Weasley said.

"Well, I haven't eaten in 48 hours, but that isn't something unusual" Harry said. Fred and George laughed before they realized Harry wasn't joking.

"Well eat, mate" Ron told him. Harry put his trunk in the front room and sat down to eat.

* * *

><p>Harry took his trunk up the stairs and into Ron's room before he took out the key that the old man gave him. Harry then proceeded to see what was in all 7 of the compartments.<p>

The bottom compartment was home to a mini Quidditch Pitch. Everything was like a real Quidditch pitch, the ground was even turf.

In the second compartment from the bottom, there was a kitchen, a table, a sitting room with three couches, and a small table.

In the third compartment from the bottom, Harry saw a bedroom with a Queen sized bed and a full bathroom, shower and all.

The middle compartment was home to a full multi-room library with what it seemed to Harry like well over 1000 books.

The fifth compartment from the bottom held a muggle weight room. There was a bench press, a full set of dumbbells, a curl bar, running machines, elliptical machines, and mechanical bicycles.

The sixth compartment from the bottom held a dueling chamber.

The top compartment was for clothes and other normal trunk things.

Harry ran down to get Ron who was playing wizard's chess with Ginny. Fred and George were commentating like it was a muggle boxing match.

"Check mate" Ron said.

"And there it is, Ron Weasley with a huge right hook to Ginny Weasley" Fred shouted, grabbing George.

"Knock out! Knock out! Knock out!" George shouted.

"Well, if you guys are done, I wanted to see if you guys want to play Quidditch" Harry said.

"It's raining like crazy outside" Ron said.

"I know. Just grab your Quidditch gear and come up to Ron's room" Harry told everybody, leaving them to wonder what he had planned.

When Ginny led the three Weasley boys up to Ron's room where Harry was waiting for them, Harry looked at them with a smirk on his face.

"So why did you have us come up here, Harry?" Ginny asked.

"Well, I just have to show you guys a little feature of my new trunk" Harry said. He opened the bottom compartment and looked back at them. Harry took a few steps back and he jumped into the trunk, his Nimbus 2000 in hand. The four Weasleys ran up to the edge of the trunk and looked down. When they did, Harry reached up and pulled Ginny onto his broom. She let out a yelp and eventually her three brothers followed.

Harry steered his broom out to the center of the pitch to meet with the three male Weasleys.

"Mate, this is the best trunk ever" Ron said.

"Yeah, it is. So are we just going to sit here talking or are we going to play some Quidditch?" Harry asked. Fred and George smirked and nodded. Harry flew down and after letting Ginny get on her own broom, he got the ball out of the box. He left the bludgers and the snitch in the box simply for safety.

* * *

><p>When Ginny went downstairs to get a drink one night, she was shocked to see Harry walking outside. Like a Weasley, she decided to follow him. She followed him closely and she stopped when he just sat down on the ground about 10 yards away from the house.<p>

Harry began drawing something in the dirt and Ginny walked up behind him, but before she could see what he was doing, he stomped on it.

"Are you alright?" Ginny asked, coming up next to him.

"I'm fine, are you?" Harry asked, gazing into Ginny's eyes.

"What did you draw in the dirt that made you stomp it away?" Ginny asked.

"Nothing, I just saw you following me and I wanted you to come out into the open" Harry told her, laughing.

"What are you doing out here?" she asked.

"I just needed some air. Why are you out here?" Harry asked her.

"I just had a nightmare and I came down to get a drink when I saw you leaving the house so I decided to follow" Ginny told him.

"What was your nightmare about?" Harry asked.

"Just about last year, you-know-who was telling me that I'm a useless little girl that nobody would ever love" Ginny said.

"You seem pretty alright with that" Harry noticed.

"Well, it's better than when he says that you would never need me" she said quietly, looking at the ground.

"Ginny, I do need you. I need every one of my friends. Without you guys, I'd probably go do something stupid and get killed by Voldemort and if I did that, what kind of friend would I be" Harry joked.

"Harry, don't even joke about that!" Ginny hissed.

"I think you missed my point, Ginny. I do need you" Harry told her.

"Do you really need me, for more than just me being Ron's little sister?" the young Weasley asked softly.

"Just as much as you need me" Harry told her. Ginny smiled at Harry and she stood up.

"Come on, let's go back inside" she said. Harry smiled and followed her into the house.

* * *

><p>A few weeks after Harry and Ginny's "night adventure", Mr. Weasley came home after winning a contest at the Ministry of Magic.<p>

"Way to go Mr. Weasley" Harry said.

"What are you going to use the money for, dad?" Ron asked.

"Well, your mother and I have made a decision that is beneficial toward everybody" Mr. Weasley said.

"We are going to visit Charlie in Romania" Mrs. Weasley said. Harry cast a look next to him at Ginny to see the look on her face, but she didn't look happy. As a matter of fact, she had been looking very upset since her talk with Harry three weeks earlier.

"What would I be doing, sir? I couldn't come with you on a family vacation" Harry said.

"Nonsense, of course you will. Where else will you go?" Mrs. Weasley said.

"She's right, mate. You've got to come with us" Ron said.

"I still don't think its right for me to come during family time" Harry said.

"You're coming, Harry" Ginny whispered, hardly loud enough for Harry to hear.

"Well we can't force you to come, Harry. But if you decide not to come, we will need to find you a place to stay" Mr. Weasley said.

"Please come, Harry" Ginny whispered again, reaching out to touch Harry's hand only to take it away instantly, blushing noticeably.

"I'll come" Harry said. Ron smiled and they all looked at Mr. Weasley who had just cleared his throat.

"There is only one condition about this trip" Mr. Weasley said.

"What is it?" Mrs. Weasley asked.

"We must act like Muggles the entire time that we are there. That includes travel" Mr. Weasley said.

"Then how are we supposed to get there? We can't drive to Romania" Ron said.

"We will fly, of course" the twins said, smirking at each other.

* * *

><p>"Harry, this place is so cramped!" Ron complained. Harry rolled his eyes followed Ginny into the last remaining row of seats. There were 2 seats then an isle and then another row of 2 seats in the plane. Ginny sat next to the window on Harry's right side and Harry sat by the isle. Fred and George were behind them. Ron and Percy were in the row behind the twins. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were in behind Ron and Percy.<p>

"What's stopping us from crashing?" Ginny asked Harry.

"Nothing; the most dangerous parts are between the ground and the highest point the plane gets. Other than the time we spend ascending and descending, it isn't very safe. There's also no magic to save us" Harry said. He stopped when he saw how scared Ginny looked.

"Oh man, I'm so sorry Ginny" Harry mumbled.

"It's okay; you've saved my life before. I'm sure you can do it again" she teased lightly.

"Thanks, Ginny. I think" Harry said.

"Thanks for telling me the truth, Harry. Mom and dad would never tell me the truth about the dangers about these planes" Ginny told him.

"You're welcome. What's been bothering you, Ginny? You have been pretty out of it lately" Harry told her.

"Nothing, just nightmares" she whispered, looking down.

"About what?" Harry asked softly.

"Just what happened last year" Ginny said, refusing to meet Harry's eyes.

"I don't blame you for what happened last year. Nobody in their right mind would. If anything, I could blame me for what happened. Dumbledore told me that you told that diary all of your deepest feelings and secrets. Was he right?" Harry asked.

"Yes, but I don't see how you could be blamed" Ginny said.

"If I would have been your friend last year, then you wouldn't have needed to write in that diary" Harry said, looking down at his lap.

"Harry, girls write in diaries all the time. Just if you would have been my friend, I probably still would have written in it. And I don't want this to be an excuse as to why we become friends" Ginny said, grinning slightly.

"Ginny, this isn't an excuse at all. I just want to be friends and on the side, maybe we could help each other out. Friends are there for each other and I want to do that for you" Harry told her simply.

"I would like that" she said, smiling at him.

"Now, can you just promise me to enjoy yourself on this vacation?" Harry asked.

"I will if you can tell me how you deal with everything that Voldemort has done to you" Ginny told him.

"Voldemort has ruined everything important in my life. But I just still make the most out of it. You and Ron and Hermione are still my friends even though Voldemort is after me all the time. I even think you and me could be considered something on another level completely" Harry said.

"Really" Ginny breathed. Harry put his hands on her cheeks and forced her to look right into his eyes.

"Yeah, you are one of my best friends just like them and I would risk my life for all of you, but there is one big difference. I risked my life for yours already and I would do it again in a heartbeat" Harry told her. Ginny put her hands on top of his and looked breathless for a second. Harry noticed how much her eyes sparkled when she was feeling something truly emotional.

"That really means a lot, Harry" Ginny said, smiling up at him. Harry reached his arm around Ginny and gave her a quick one arm hug, but it still created a warm feeling inside him that he couldn't explain, but it guaranteed one thing. Harry Potter and Ginny Weasley have an inseparable bond.

But neither of them noticed that behind them, Fred and George had watched the entire scene. They hadn't heard anything because of how quiet the young pair was, but they knew.

"1 sickle says they are together by Christmas" Fred said.

"You're on" George said.

When the airplane moved onto the runway, Harry felt Ginny tense up slightly next to him. Not knowing what to do, Harry just reached over and placed his hand on her hand. She looked up at him and he gave her a reassuring smile. It seemed to be enough to calm her nerves because she looked out the window to see the lights of the runway. When she finally seemed to relax, the airplane zoomed forward. Harry saw a look of fear on Ginny's face but just smiled back at her and sat moderately calmly, though she did take Harry's hand and squeeze it.

They held hands until the airplane got all the way up to the summit of the climb and the seatbelt life turned off. Then, they had to stop holding hands because of the sound of Ron's voice coming closer.

"That wasn't so bad" Ron commented, though he was talking pretty loud.

"Keep your voice down, Ron" Harry said.

"No, I don't see a clown, Harry" Ron said.

"What's going on with him?" Ginny asked, whispering into Harry's ear.

"It's just a side-effect of the ride, his ears are clogged up. It generally happens on the way down" Harry explained.

"How long is it until we get there?" Ginny asked.

"Not too long" Harry said, though they had forgotten Ron was standing next to them.

"What are you guys whispering about?" Ron asked.

"Yes, good question" Fred said.

"What were you two" George said.

"Whispering about?" the twins finished in unison.

"Just telling stories of before we met" Harry said, covering up for Ginny who had sunk down into her chair.

"Has Ginny told you the story about her crush on you?" Ron asked.

"Or the one where" George said.

"She makes us" Fred said.

"Tell her the story" George said.

"About the Sorcerer's Stone" Fred said. Harry looked down at Ginny whose face had become about as red as her hair.

"Or when she had mum tell her a story about Harry Potter every night before bed before I left for Hogwarts" Ron said. Noticing the embarrassment on Ginny's face, Ron and the twins smirked before going back to their seats, leaving Harry alone with Ginny, who was still red faced.

"Is all of that true?" Harry asked.

"Yeah, it is. You probably think I'm just a little girl with a crush, don't you" Ginny whispered sadly.

"That's not what I think at all. I think it is really cool that you think that highly of me" Harry said.

"I thought you would hate having some random girl wanting to know that much about you" she said, still looking at her feet.

"Well, you're the exception" Harry said. Before she could respond, the pilot announced that there was a problem.

"Attention everyone, there is a problem. One of our starboard engines has just blown and we are going to crash into open water" the pilot said gravely. Ginny let out a squeal in fear before she grabbed Harry's hand for luck.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: Well, cliff hangar! What do you guys think of this chapter? I am trying to keep the ages of Harry and Ginny into perspective and I don't really know much about the story, but tell me if you want to see anything. This story is going to be a revised canon, so review and tell me what you want to read! Thank you!<strong>


	3. Summer in Romania

**Summer in Romania**

Harry looked at Ginny and gave her hand a small squeeze. When she looked up at him he gave her a reassuring smile, but they still needed instructions from the pilot. So they waited a few minutes.

"I need everybody to stay calm. A flight attendant is going to come through the center isle with life-vests. You are to put them on and then you need to buckle back into your seats. Now, the emergency procedures are pretty simple. You will feel the airplane hit the water, and once the initial shock is over, everybody needs to escape in the rafts. Every raft can hold 8 people. Good luck" the pilot said before the announcement clicked off.

A flight attendant started coming down the center isle with life-vests even before the pilot stopped talking. Harry grabbed two vests and handed one to Ginny. He tried to say thank you to the flight attendant but he could barely hear himself think over the shouts of panic.

"Harry, Ginny, you two need to stay together especially until we get into the raft. We all need to get into one raft. Be careful, there is no telling what could have caused the problem" the magnified voice of Mr. Weasley said, though none of the Muggles seemed to hear it.

Life-vests on, Harry and Ginny buckled back into their seats and they waited. While waiting, they held hands like a true couple, although it may have been because of Ginny's obvious fear. Harry gave her a reassuring smile, but it didn't do much to calm her fear.

"Don't be afraid. Nothing can stop us as long as we're together" Harry said into her ear.

"Are you sure?" Ginny asked, looking up into his green eyes.

"Completely, nothing can stop us as long as we stay together. I meant my promise" Harry told her calmly.

"You'd better not die, Harry" Ginny said, tears shining in her eyes.

"I won't. Don't worry about me" Harry told her.

"I will worry about you until nobody wants to kill you" Ginny told him.

"Ginny, I don't want you to be worrying for that long. People will want to kill me forever. But then again, as long as we're together its good enough" Harry told her, smiling.

"Prat" Ginny whispered before screaming when the plane began a nose dive downward. She moved closer to Harry and buried her face in his chest. Harry put his arm around her in a protective way and waited. A few minutes later, the airplane pulled up until it was about level. Then the airplane hit the water. It bounced and everybody in the plane was bouncing around. The entire overhead luggage fell out of the overhead compartments, one bag narrowly missing Harry's head. It was about a minute until the airplane stopped bouncing around.

"Are you alright?" Harry asked.

"Yeah, we need to move" Ginny said. Harry nodded and got up, helping Ginny to her feet as well. Harry let Ginny walk in front of him. She grabbed Fred's hand and Harry followed the 7 Weasleys to the back exit.

The flight attendant helped them all into a raft and gave them a compass before pushing them away from the plane.

"We are going to try to stay together, but in case you get separated from us, head due east and you will find land" the flight attendant said.

"Thank you" Mr. Weasley said. He handed the compass to Harry and they pushed their way away from the airplane. When all the Muggles from the plane were out of hearing range, Harry turned toward Mr. Weasley.

"What caused the crash? Can you see anything?" Harry asked. Ginny nodded and pointed at two shadows behind her parents.

"Time to get out of here!" Mr. Weasley exclaimed.

"What do we do? I can't Apparate three people!" Mrs. Weasley said, trying to stay calm.

"Two people are going to have to take a portkey to Romania, but who?" Percy asked.

"I will" Harry said. He took off his shoe and Percy set up a portkey. Harry put a finger on the shoe and waited.

"45 seconds" Percy called out.

"Who else is going?" Fred asked. Ron and Ginny both put a finger on the shoe.

"Oh no, not you two, it's too dangerous! You need to stay here where it is safe!" Mrs. Weasley shouted, ignoring the shadow behind her. Mr. Weasley was shooting some kind of spell out of his wand that was keeping the shadow away.

"Is there anywhere safer than with the boy who saved my life already?" Ginny demanded.

"30 seconds" Percy called out.

"Ginny, I'm going, you need to stay with Mom and Dad" Ron said.

"No, I want to stay with Harry!" Ginny argued.

"What makes you think Harry wants to baby-sit you? He already saved your life once, don't make him do it again" Ron snapped. At that comment, Ginny smacked Ron in the face as hard as she could.

"10 seconds!" Percy yelled. Ron fell back, nearly off the raft and Ginny put her finger on the shoe just in time. The portkey engaged and Harry and Ginny were pulled into Romania.

When Harry saw the sun, he put his shoe back on and looked around. There were a few buildings around, but only one stood out.

"Are you alright?" Ginny asked.

"Yeah, are you?" Harry asked.

"Yeah, just pretty tired; where is everybody?" she asked.

"I don't know, maybe we should go into that building and ask where we are" Harry suggested slowly. Ginny nodded and hooked onto Harry's arm and then they walked through the door. When he went in, he saw many evil faces and proceeded slowly with Ginny on his arm. When they got to the counter, Harry realized it was a bar.

After a few minutes, Harry put a protective arm around Ginny.

There was a tap on Harry's shoulder a few seconds after that and he turned so Ginny was behind him. They couldn't tell who the stranger was because of his hood, so Harry got his wand out.

"I mean no harm" the stranger said, though Harry didn't lower his wand and Ginny stayed behind Harry.

"What do you want?" Harry demanded.

"I just want to know what gives you the right to have your arm around her" the stranger said.

"What does it matter to you?" Harry demanded, pointing his wand right at the stranger.

"You may be the savior of the world, Harry Potter, but she is still my baby sister" the stranger said. He then removed his hood and Ginny peeked over Harry's shoulder reluctantly.

"Charlie!" Ginny shouted happily as she jumped out from behind Harry and into her brother's arms.

Harry let out a sigh of relief as he put away his wand before following the two Weasleys out of the bar.

"So I'm confused, are you guys a couple now?" Charlie asked.

"No" Ginny said sadly.

"I'm surprised. Harry obviously likes you just from how he looks at you and wants to protect you, and you've been talking about Harry Potter since you could talk. Why aren't you two a couple yet?" Charlie asked.

"Because I haven't asked her yet" Harry told him. But then, a second later, he realized what he had said. He hadn't even admitted that he liked Ginny to himself yet.

Ginny looked to be just as surprised as Harry. Charlie, however, looked triumphant and smirked broadly. Charlie, however, didn't push the issue. He just walked Harry and Ginny into one of the other buildings where the rest of the Weasleys were waiting.

"So are we a couple now?" Harry whispered into Ginny's ear while they were walking behind Charlie.

"Are you asking me what I think you're asking me, Harry Potter?" Ginny whispered back, an ear to ear grin on her face.

"Yes, I am" Harry answered softly.

"Then yes, we are a couple now" Ginny whispered back happily.

"But let's keep it quiet, we both know how your mum will react if she hears about this" Harry said. They laughed together before gulping nervously as the thought of Mrs. Weasley angry crossed their minds.

When Harry and Ginny got into the hotel, Mrs. Weasley ran up and engulfed them in a bear hug before they could even say hello.

"Where were they?" Mr. Weasley asked Charlie.

"They were in the bar, and I just have to say that Percy was right" Charlie said, winking.

"What are you talking about?" Ginny asked.

"Percy sent me a letter saying that you two look like a young couple, and he is right" Charlie told her.

"So Harry, we" Fred said.

"Didn't know you like" George said.

"Our baby sister" Fred said.

"If you hurt her, I promise" George said.

"We will hurt you" the twins said in unison, pounding their fists together at the end.

"You like Ginny, Harry?" Ron asked, sitting down on a chair. Harry nodded, but he didn't look away from Ron.

"You hurt her, we hurt you" Ron said. He stood up and placed his hand on Harry's shoulder before smiling and pulling his best friend into a hug. Harry then turned to Percy and Charlie.

"I think my brothers summed it up pretty well" Percy said.

"You saved her life once and I'm sure you would do it again. I trust you both to make the right decisions" Charlie said simply. Harry nodded and turned to Mr. and Mrs. Weasley.

"I may not like the way my sons handled this, Harry, they will not hesitate to act out their promises. But I am very glad she chose you and not somebody we can't trust. I don't see any reason for you to give them a reason to act on their words" Mr. Weasley said.

"You are way too young! I will not allow it!" Mrs. Weasley snapped. Ginny opened her mouth to argue, but Mrs. Weasley cut her off.

"If you can come up with a good reason why you and Harry should be allowed to date, I'd like to hear it" Mrs. Weasley hissed. Ginny didn't reply, and Charlie, who noticed the tension decided to change the subject.

"So, tomorrow morning would you all like to go see the dragons up close?" Charlie asked. The rest of the group agreed before going up the stairs into their rooms. Harry was asleep before his head hit the pillow that night, and for the first time in a while, his dreams were good.

Ginny, however was not so lucky. Even after all that had happened that day, she was still scared to go to sleep. Luckily, Charlie had bewitched the room so everybody got their own room, well except for Fred and George.

"Maybe I should go find Harry, maybe I can talk to him" Ginny thought. But then she wondered what would happen if anybody else caught her. That wouldn't be a pretty conversation. So Ginny once again let her head down onto her pillow and closed her eyes, thinking about Harry, but it didn't work.

* * *

><p>Ginny opened her eyes and she was in the Chamber of Secrets, and she saw Tom Riddle was standing over her body, though she was not in her body.<p>

"Foolish girl, nobody would dare coming into the Chamber of Secrets to save you" Riddle said coolly. He laughed calmly.

"Soon, Lord Voldemort will return and Ginny Weasley will cease to exist" Tom said. But as he said that, the sound of steps in water broke him from his thoughts. Harry Potter was coming.

"Ah, yes, the great protector is coming. Don't worry, Ginny, you and Harry will be together after I kill him tonight" Tom whispered. Ginny looked back from her body lying on the ground to Harry who was walking up to Tom Riddle with a purpose. Tom hid behind a pillar before Harry could see him and watched as Harry ran up to Ginny. He turned her over and flung his wand aside.

It was then that Tom walked up and picked up Harry's wand and pointed it at Harry.

"Avada Kedavra" Tom whispered. Harry fell over, his eyes wide open with shock, and he was dead.

* * *

><p>Ginny woke up with a scream and she sat up quickly in her bed. She got up and immediately went to Harry's room. She opened the door slowly and peeked in. Harry was sitting up in his bed, reading a spell book.<p>

"Ginny? What are you doing awake?" Harry asked, closing his book.

"I just had a bad dream. Can I come in?" she asked. Harry nodded and she closed the door softly. Harry put a silencing charm on the door and looked deep into her brown eyes.

"What was your dream about?" Harry asked when she sat down next to him.

"I just saw the Chamber again, and Tom was there. He was just telling me how foolish I was and that he was going to kill you for coming to get me. When you bent over to check on me, he picked up you wand and he killed you" Ginny said, burying her face in her arms.

"How did he kill me?" Harry asked.

"He just said _Avada Kedavra_ and then I saw a bright green light and then you fell back, your eyes wide open and you were dead" Ginny told him sadly.

"Ginny, don't worry, Tom can't hurt you anymore. He's gone and I'm alright. Now, how long have you been having these nightmares?" Harry asked her.

"I was having them sometimes during the year, but I thought that they would go away after you saved me, but they didn't. I started to have the nightmares more often and I don't know what to do" Ginny cried, refusing to look at Harry.

"Ginny, you are an extremely powerful witch because of what happened last year" Harry said.

"No, you let me finish" Harry hissed when she tried to interrupt him. She stayed quiet momentarily while Harry finished.

"You fought for one year where most people give up instantly. Ginny, you fought Lord Voldemort" Harry told her, noticing her wince when he said Voldemort.

"Don't say that name" Ginny hissed.

"That's not the point, Ginny. You fought him for an entire year, something very few people can say that they did" Harry told her.

"But how does that help my nightmares?" she asked again.

"If he couldn't hurt you then, when he was powerful, what makes you think he can hurt you now that he is a shell of his former self?" Harry asked. Ginny stayed quiet for a minute until she had a comeback.

"But the Tom we faced last year was still a shell of his former self, so what happens when he comes back with full strength?" Ginny asked.

"We will deal with that later, but for now, we are safe. Enjoy it" Harry told her lightly.

"Thanks Harry, I'll see you in the morning" Ginny said happily. He smiled and hugged her goodnight. There would be time to talk about their relationship another time, but for now, Harry let her sleep.

When Ginny got into her bed, she was happy and when she went to sleep, her dreams were not plagued by Tom.

* * *

><p>The next morning, when they went to see the dragons, the final dragon shot fire in Harry's direction once he got in range. The dragon didn't attack anybody else, but Harry had to dodge fire more than once. But after three dives, Harry was done and he retreated out of range of the angry dragon.<p>

"What was that about?" Harry demanded when he got back with the rest of the Weasleys.

"I should have warned you, the Hungarian Horntail will shoot fire at anything that it deems a threat" Charlie told him.

"It deemed me a threat?" Harry asked incredulously.

"Yeah, don't ask me why it deemed you a threat, but it did. I hope to see you all soon, hopefully the holidays" Charlie said. When Charlie tried to walk away, Harry put a hand on his shoulder. Charlie turned around and looked down at Harry.

"What do you need, Harry?" Charlie asked. Harry didn't reply, but he held out his hand, daring Charlie to shake his hand, which he did.

Without breaking their handshake, they embraced each other in a big hug.

"I'm glad Ginny chose you, but keep it quiet from mum for a while, at least until she realizes you two are ready, but when you are ready to tell her, I will back you up 100 percent" Charlie whispered into Harry's ear.

"Thank you, Charlie. I will take care of her, I promise" Harry whispered back.

"Thank you, Harry" Charlie said. Then the two released each other and Harry went to the portkey that was ready to depart. Ginny called out a goodbye to Charlie and he waved before the portkey took the group of 8 back to the Burrow.

In the morning, it would be time to go to Diagon Alley, but for now, it was time for sleep.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: Hey, everybody, I'm back with a new chapter! I hope I portrayed Charlie well; he wasn't really big in the books that I can remember so I guessed. Anyways, I know this update was really fast, but don't expect the same thing for Chapter 4. I was lucky this time, but read and review. The more reviews I get, the faster I will update and reviews will also help me improve my writing. The moral of this note is REVIEW, REVIEW, and REVIEW! Also tell your friends to review as well. Thank you everybody for your help.<strong>


	4. Unregistered Animagi

**Unregistered Animagi**

The clan went to Diagon Alley and bought all their books before returning to the Burrow for the final night.

"Ginny, wait a minute" Harry said before she went to her room.

"What's on your mind, Harry?" Ginny asked. He checked to make sure nobody was listening before he turned back toward her.

"I just want to say that even at Hogwarts we should keep our relationship quiet, at least for now. I really don't want your mum to yell at us" Harry said. Ginny sunk her head slightly, but relented.

* * *

><p>When they got to the train, Harry and Ginny followed Ron and Hermione into an open compartment and they closed the door quickly.<p>

"So, Harry, I can see the look in your eye again" Ginny told him.

"Yeah, you only get that look when you have a rule breaking idea" Ron said.

"Oh no, don't tell me you have another idea!" Hermione begged.

"Well, I was thinking about becoming an Animagus. It would probably help out in this fight against Voldemort" Harry said simply.

"Well there's certainly an idea. Would you be registering with the Ministry of Magic?" Hermione asked, though by the pained look on her face, she already knew the answer.

"No, I was figuring that I wouldn't have to tell anybody but you three" Harry said.

"I think that's a hell of an idea, mate" Ron said, his eyes beaming.

"Harry, you need to register with the Ministry!" Hermione exclaimed.

"Why would I do that? What has the Ministry of Magic done in my life to help me in any way? Why should I have to talk to them before I become an Animagus?" Harry demanded.

"It might be dangerous" Ginny whispered, only loud enough for Harry to hear.

"I'll be fine. You don't need to worry. I already know what to do to see if I can become an Animagus. I just need to take the potion and follow the steps in the book" Harry said.

"You already know what you have to do? Where did you get the potion?" Hermione asked.

"I took it from Snape before the end of last term" Harry said, smirking lightly. Nobody in the compartment really liked Snape at all, so that move was not frowned upon very deeply.

"Brilliant, mate" Ron said.

"What do you have to do?" Hermione asked.

"Well, I need to drink the potion and then cast the spell on this page right here" Harry said, showing Hermione his book.

"What happens if no animal shows up?" Ron asked, reading the steps over Hermione's shoulder.

"Then it is impossible for you to become an Animagus" Harry explained.

"So why do you need us here?" Hermione asked.

"Because I won't be able to see what animal I get" Harry told them. Ermione askedHAt that, he took a deep breath before taking the potion in his hand. He drank the potion and he took his wand in his hand. When he began the spell, he was talking in Parseltongue so nobody could understand what he was saying.

When he stopped talking, he closed his eyes and a white beam of light began to come out of Harry's wand. Then a Phoenix came out of the beam of light. Ginny let out a breath of shock when the light stopped coming from Harry's wand and the Phoenix exploded into a flame.

"Wow, that was intense" Ron whispered.

"What animal did I get?" Harry asked.

"You got a phoenix" Hermione told him.

"Does that mean you can do everything a phoenix can do?" Ron asked.

"I think so" Harry said.

"So you can heal any wound with a tear?" Ginny asked quietly.

"I think so, yeah" Harry said. Looks of awe were on the faces of Harry's three friends.

It was then that they realized that somebody was in the compartment. The trunk said Professor R. J. Lupin on it. Nobody had an answer as to who Lupin was, but the train ride was pretty normal until the train slowed down about 40 minutes before Hogwarts.

"We can't be there yet" Hermione said.

"So why are we stopping?" Ron asked, obviously only wanting the feast. When the train was completely stopped, Harry looked out the door of the compartment. As soon as he did, the train was engulfed in darkness. In the confusion of their compartment with Ron and Hermione arguing and Harry trying to find Ginny, Professor Lupin finally woke up.

"Be quiet" Lupin said, his voice hoarse. He got up and walked slowly to the door, but the door opened and a cloaked figure came in, much like the one that Mr. Weasley fought after the plane crash.

It went right for Harry and Harry felt a cold chill coming over him. He fell on the ground, heard a scream, and passed out.

"Harry, wake up!"

"Come on mate, move!"

"Please Harry, please"

Harry heard all these whispers and slowly opened his eyes. He had a monster headache and he was on the floor of the compartment.

"Is everybody alright?" Harry asked. Everybody nodded slightly and Ginny rolled her eyes at

"What was that thing?" Harry asked.

"That was a Dementor. They guard Azkaban, they were probably searching for Sirius Black" Lupin said, breaking a bar of chocolate and handing half to Harry and half to Ginny.

"Eat, it will help. I need to have a word with our driver" Lupin said before leaving the compartment.

Harry sat back up in his seat and noticed that they were just minutes away from Hogwarts.

"How long was I out?" Harry asked.

"A good 40 minutes" Hermione told him.

"Well, that's embarrassing" Harry muttered, blushing slightly.

"Don't worry, mate. It happened to Ginny too, she came around just the same time you did" Ron told him.

"Ron" Hermione yelled. Harry looked over to see Ginny cowering in the seat just above him. Harry got up and sat next to Ginny. She had her face buried in her arms and didn't acknowledge Harry at all.

"What? It's the truth!" Ron yelled back. Harry then zoned them out and turned toward Ginny.

"Ginny, what happened?" Harry whispered into her ear.

"I'll tell you later. We need to get into our robes" Ginny whispered back.

"Okay" Harry said.

When the train stopped at Hogwarts, the four got up to go leave, but Ginny interrupted them.

"Harry, can you wait a second?" Ginny asked. Harry motioned for Ron and Hermione to go ahead when he went up to Ginny.

"Are you alright?" Harry asked when he noticed her look away.

"I need a favor" Ginny said quietly, her voice barely able to be heard.

"Anything" Harry said.

"Can we talk about last year?" Ginny asked with the same nearly-silent tone.

"Yeah, but we can't talk about it here. How about we go down to the lake" Harry told her. They got off the train and they walked down to the lake, not even going to the castle. When they got to the lake, they sat down at the base of a tree and Harry looked deep into Ginny's brown eyes.

"Now tell me" Harry told her.

"I just want to say thank you. You risked your life to save mine. I don't think I could ever repay you" she said, looking down at the ground.

"I don't need thanks for that, Ginny. I just need to know what's bothering you. What happened to you was horrible. Why can't you talk to anybody?" Harry asked.

"I'm tired of being a victim, I've always been the youngest, the baby of my family. I was always protected because nobody ever thought I could take care of myself. And I proved them all right by getting possessed by Voldemort. The nightmares don't help matters either" Ginny said quietly, still looking down.

"What nightmares?" Harry asked, frowning slightly.

"Ever since you've saved me, I've had the same nightmare. When I wake up, you yell at me and tell me I belong in Azkaban and that I'm an embarrassment to my whole family. You tell me that I'm not fit to live and then you point your wand at me. Then I wake up crying because I know everything you said is true" Ginny said, crying into her hands. Harry put his arms around her and she cried into his shoulder.

"Ginny, nobody thinks that of you. I certainly don't!" Harry said strongly.

"I do. As soon as my parents saw me, they told me they love me. But that doesn't change what I did. So many people could have died! You could have died!" Ginny cried, shedding more tears into Harry's shoulder.

"You just made a mistake. How do you think I feel about what happened to my parents? It's not my fault. It is Voldemort's fault just like with you. Because of Voldemort, I don't have parents. Because of him, I live with the Dursleys and I have never, not once heard somebody say that they love me!" Harry told her sturdily again as she continued to cry into his shoulder.

Ginny looked up at him and cried even more. But this time, it was for Harry and how the boy who lived was also the boy nobody loved.

"Harry, there are a lot of people who care about you like Ron, Hermione, my parents, me" she said, whispering her name.

"I know, but what happened to you was Voldemort and Lucius Malfoy's fault! You were lonely. Your four brothers here had no time for you and one of them was spending all of his time with me, when you wanted to. Tom had time for you" Harry told her, understanding her even more than he knew.

"Tom was using me" Ginny whispered, not raising her head from Harry's shoulder.

"We should have been spending time with you, Ginny. I'm so sorry I'm the reason we didn't. I was uncomfortable around you all year" Harry whispered.

"Just because I have a crush on you" Ginny said, lifting her head up to look at Harry.

"I heard, but I still don't want you to think that you owe me" Harry told her again, though she rolled her eyes.

"I know, Harry. You would have rescued anybody from the Chamber, and you would never think of a reward. It's just who you are. I know how bad you don't want to hear this, but you are my hero" Ginny told him.

"Thanks, Ginny" Harry said truthfully.

"So what does this mean for us?" Ginny asked.

"I am thirteen and you are only twelve, so we are young. But that doesn't mean we can't be together. It's not like we're getting married. If it doesn't work out, then at least we can say we tried" Harry said.

"Do we still need to keep it quiet?" Ginny asked. Harry took a deep breath and pondered for a minute before looking back at her.

"At school, we can make it public, but I still don't want to have to deal with your mum" Harry told her. She laughed and gave him a weak smile before they began walking toward the castle for the feast.

"You took down a basilisk and stared down you-know-who himself, and you're afraid of my mother?" Ginny asked.

"Well in a way, yes, but I'd rather people know about us" Harry told her.

"Thank you, hero" Ginny said. Harry blushed deeply and linked his arm with hers, firmly stating that they are dating. They walked up to the school and like expected Harry ran into Draco Malfoy.

"Hey, Potter, is it true you fainted?" Malfoy asked, laughing with Crabbe and Goyle.

"Just let it go, Harry" Ginny whispered.

"Hey, Malfoy, is it true I knocked you out?" Harry asked, smirking. He and Ginny laughed before turning to listen to Dumbledore give everybody a friendly warning about the Dementors.

After the feast everybody went back to the common room through the fat lady's horrendous singing.

"She's done that every year" Michael muttered to Harry.

"I know, she can't even sing" Harry said back, laughing. He gave Ginny a hug goodnight before going up to the dorms.

* * *

><p>At about midnight, Harry came out of the 5th compartment from the bottom of his trunk and went down to the common room to sit by the fire. He was extremely surprised to see Ginny up and sitting on the couch. He went up and sat down next to her on the couch.<p>

"Are you alright?" Harry asked her.

"Do you still want to know what I saw with that Dementor?" Ginny asked, looking up at him.

"Yes, if you're ready to talk about it" Harry told her.

"I saw the Chamber of Secrets again, but this time I saw the basilisk" Ginny whispered.

"You know, I don't think there's anything more scary than that snake" Harry said before he realized what he was saying.

"Well, that was a scary snake" Ginny agreed. The two laughed for a few seconds before the mood dampened again.

"How in Merlin's name did you kill that thing, Harry?" she asked.

"Your guess is as good as mine. I think it was pure luck that I succeeded" Harry told her.

"Harry, you killed Tom Riddle, a basilisk, and you saved my life. You deserve some credit for that" Ginny told him again.

"But I" Harry started.

"Oh shut it Harry! You are my savior and my hero and you'd better get used to it" Ginny yelled at him. Harry could tell that she wasn't mad at all, but just frustrated with him.

"Alright, why were you awake tonight, Harry?" Ginny asked, curling up into Harry's body.

"I was just in my trunk and decided to come down" Harry told her.

"What were you doing in your trunk? Were you flying?" Ginny asked.

"No, I was in the weight room" Harry explained.

"You have a weight room?" Ginny asked. Harry nodded.

"How long have you been working out?" Ginny asked.

"Since I got it, every night" Harry told her. She felt his arms and shoulders and stomach before smiling.

"Ooh, wait until I tell all my friends I have a buff boyfriend" Ginny said happily, smiling at Harry.

"You can't tell people yet, I don't want people to look at me different!" Harry told her.

"What?" she asked.

"People already look at me like a celebrity, I don't want that to happen even more" Harry told her.

"Oh fine, I won't tell anybody" Ginny promised.

"Thank you" Harry said gratefully.

"But you won't stop working out" Ginny ordered, sitting in Harry's embrace nicely.

"Well, if this is my reward for working out, I won't stop" Harry promised.

"Thank you, hero" she said happily before yawning.h

"Let's go to sleep, Ginny, tomorrow I have to start my Animagus training" Harry told her.

"Oh alright" she said sadly, though she got up and walked up to the dorm with Harry. He gave her a hug goodnight before returning to bed.

Ginny tip-toed into her dorm room as quietly as she could and sat down on her bed. She let out a sigh of relief when she realized that nobody else in her dorm was still awake.

She slipped into bed quietly, and rolled over onto her side. When she closed her eyes and went to sleep, for once she didn't see Voldemort. She slept soundly and when she woke up and went to the feast, she didn't see Harry the entire way. She sat down across from Ron and Hermione and greeted them.

"Morning Ginny, have you seen Harry at all?" Hermione asked.

"What makes you think she knows where he is if we don't? We're his best friends, not her" Ron pointed out.

"I don't know where he is, Hermione" Ginny said, completely ignoring Ron.

"I hope he shows up soon, I hope he's not in trouble" Hermione muttered.

"He's fine, don't worry" Ron said.

"Yeah, he's Harry Potter. He probably isn't doing anything dangerous" Ginny told them. They silently decided to wait for Harry, but they were about to leave to look for him, Harry walked into the great hall looking absolutely exhausted. He sat down next to Ginny and began to fill his plate, muttering a greeting at the same time.

"Where have you been, mate, the girls missed you" Ron said. Harry mumbled something intelligible when Hermione hit Ron.

"What was that?" Ginny asked.

"Training" Harry said through his food.

"Wow Harry, training is making you eat like Ron" Hermione commented. Ron faked a look of hurt as Harry wiped his face with a napkin.

"Sorry Hermione, training makes a guy hungry" Harry told her.

"How long were you training before you came down here?" Ginny asked.

"Only two hours" Harry told her.

"Only? You call two hours of training only? Harry, you're only a human, you're going to kill yourself!" Ginny snapped at him. Harry put his food back onto his plate and looked at the youngest Weasley.

"Ginny, calm down, I was just doing my Animagus exercises. So I was just meditating and working on faze one of my transformations, so it was nothing too tough" Harry told her.

"Wow Ginny, what was that? Who knew you liked bossing Harry around so much" Fred said, coming up behind Ron.

"It's like you're already a married couple" George said, walking up behind Hermione.

"Wow Ginny, your face is almost as red as your hair" Fred told her.

"And Harry, you're not very far off the mark either" George said, noticing Harry's blush.

"So, what are you two hiding?" Hermione asked after Fred and George marched away, smirks on both of their faces.

"We're not hiding anything, Hermione" Harry told her.

"No, I know you're hiding something. I haven't seen this look on Ginny's face since last time she got out of trouble with mum" Ron told him.

"Now tell us" Hermione begged.

"Fine" Harry snapped.

"Harry no" Ginny begged.

"Ginny, it's time they learned. I am doing all of this training because I know Sirius Black is coming after me and if he finds me, I want to be ready so I don't end up like my parents" Harry snapped at them before getting up and storming out of the great hall, leaving his three friends in shock. After recovering from their shock, they followed him.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: so there's chapter three up for you all. Overall, I'm not as proud of this chapter as I am of some of my other pieces of work, so any help that could be given, I'd love to hear it in a review. So read and review, and if you like the story, spread the word around to your friends. I'd like to get all the help for my writing that I can get. Thank you all!<strong>


	5. A Date With a Dementor

**A Date with a Dementor**

Ginny led Ron and Hermione in a dead sprint after Harry, but they had trouble catching him because of all the people in the halls.

Harry walked out onto the grounds and walked toward the square where he saw Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle. Harry tried to get by them but they stopped him.

"Hey So Potter, where's your little fan club? They're usually following you around" Malfoy said, stepping in front of Harry.

"They are not my fan club. They are my friends, and I don't know where they are" Harry told him.

"Left by your fans, that must be your worst fear. Famous Harry Potter left by his fans and alone" Draco teased. Harry tried to walk around, but Malfoy wouldn't let him pass.

"Get out of my way, Malfoy" Harry hissed.

"Or what" Malfoy demanded. Harry whipped his wand out and pointed it at Malfoy who backed away swiftly. Harry shook his head and walked away swiftly from Malfoy who was seething in anger.

Ginny, who had been watching the whole scene, ran after him. She followed him toward the lake and saw him sit down at the tree. Ginny stopped about 10 feet away from Harry and looked in his direction. Harry pulled his head out from behind the tree and looked at her.

"Ginny, you can come here" Harry told her. She walked up to him and sat down next to him.

"Why did you run off from us this morning?" Ginny asked.

"I'm tired of always having somebody who wants to kill me and being completely defenseless against them. I want to be able to defend myself, to be able to defend you" Harry told her.

"How many times do I have to tell you that you are already my hero and you can protect me better than anybody else?" Ginny asked him as she placed her head on his shoulder.

"I can't protect you from everything" Harry told her.

"Are you implying that I am weak?" Ginny asked.

"No, that's not it. It's just that after last year, I don't want anything like that to happen to you again" Harry said quietly.

"But you saved me from Tom" Ginny told him again.

"That was luck. If it wasn't for Fawkes, I would have died in that Chamber" Harry told her. Ginny closed her eyes, remembering the giant wound that was on his arm when she woke up in his arms.

Harry felt her shiver and he took her hand in his own, giving her hand a small squeeze.

"But that's why I spend so much time training. I just don't want anything to happen to you and I know that I can't protect you from everything" Harry told her.

"Harry, you're a noble prat, but what does that have to do with Sirius Black?" Ginny asked.

"Sirius Black wants to kill me, and he is insane. He might try to use you to get to me" Harry told her, giving her hand a squeeze. Ginny rolled her eyes at him but smiled nonetheless.

"Why are you doing everything for me? Why can't you just do something for yourself? You deserve to have somebody care for you like you care for everybody else!" Ginny said forcefully, taking both of Harry's hands into hers.

A jolt of electricity flew through both of their bodies causing both members of the couple to blush before Harry and Ginny shrugged it off.

"Please Harry, just trust me. All I want is for you to be safe and happy" Ginny begged him, her emotion tearing into Harry.

"I will be happy once I know that all my friends are safe" Harry told her, gazing deep into her brown eyes.

"I can't fight those green eyes" Ginny muttered.

"So please don't be mad at me, Ginny. I just want you to be safe and happy" Harry begged her, looking right into her eyes.

"Alright fine, Harry. Just please don't kill yourself" Ginny told him.

"And deprive Sirius Black of the pleasure? Don't worry, I'll be careful" Harry promised her. Ginny hit his arm again and glared at him.

"Harry! Why would you even joke about that?" Ginny shouted at him.

"Sorry, I'm just trying to lighten up the mood" Harry told her. Shrugging off his attempt at humor, Ginny shook her head at him.

"Come on, we need to go to class" Ginny said, getting up. When she got up, she staggered a little bit and Harry steadied her up.

"Are you okay?" Harry asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine, just tired from sitting for so long, that's all" Ginny told him, though when she took another step she nearly fell again.

"That's it" Harry muttered. He stepped in front of her and got onto his knees with his back to her as she took another step. She fell back down and onto Harry's back. He grabbed the back of her knees and picked her up into a piggy-back ride.

"What are you doing?" Ginny asked when Harry started walking back to the castle.

"I'm carrying you to the common room" Harry told her.

"You don't have to do that" Ginny told him, though she put her arms around Harry's shoulders nicely.

"I don't have to but I want to and I can tell that you want me to" he told her, smirking as he walked into the castle with Ginny on his back.

They saw Dumbledore talking to Professor McGonagall and waved a hello but kept walking toward the common room.

"Do you think they know about their bond, Albus?" McGonagall asked.

"They don't know yet, but I will not tell them. They will find out when they are ready" Dumbledore said.

"But they are so young, Albus, what if they unknowingly enter the physical stage?" McGonagall asked.

"We will need to keep an eye on them, that's for sure" Dumbledore said, looking at Harry and Ginny walking away.

* * *

><p>Harry carried Ginny through the portrait hole and toward the couches where Ron, Hermione, Fred, and George were sitting.<p>

"Welcome back lovebirds" Fred said.

"Were you off snogging again?" George asked.

"Or perhaps just snuggling?" Fred asked. HeeHe and George winked at the scarlet couple, though Harry shrugged and put Ginny down before he sat down on the couch, pulling Ginny onto his lap. Another jolt of electricity ran through the young couple and they smiled at each other.

"Would it kill you two to keep your hands off each other for 5 seconds?" Ron demanded.

"Is it my fault I don't want to stay away from my hero?" Ginny asked, smiling before hugging Harry tightly.

Ron faked vomiting and Hermione smiled while Fred and George wolf whistled at them.

"Well, we should go to class, shouldn't we?" Hermione said.

"We've got Defense first" Ron said.

"I've got Potions" Ginny said sadly.

"Ouch, that bites" Harry told her.

"I'll talk to you later" Ginny said, kissing Harry's cheek. Harry smiled and walked off with Ron and Hermione toward Defense against the Dark Arts.

* * *

><p>After Defense against the Dark Arts, Harry found himself running toward the Quidditch Pitch for their first match against Hufflepuff. The conditions were dreadful, but Harry was determined to win this year.<p>

It was nearly impossible for him to see through the rain, but he finally caught a glimpse of the snitch flying up toward the sky. Harry flew up toward it and he reached out to grab it before he felt a cold chill overwhelm him, despite the dreadful conditions. Harry saw a few Dementors begin to surround him. Instinctively, he got his wand out and hot a few spells into the air, but nothing worked. A Dementor got close to him and Harry felt his mind going black. The last thing he remembered was the feeling of falling backward down toward the pitch.

* * *

><p>"Where is he?" Ginny asked herself a few minutes after Harry had flown into the clouds chasing the snitch. Hermione's eyes opened wide with fear and she pointed upward. Ginny looked upward to see a Dementor over Harry. Ginny screamed when she saw Harry fall back over his broom down toward the pitch.<p>

When Harry hit the ground, Ginny could have cared less about the score. She ran to Harry, followed closely by Hermione and Ron. But when they got to the end of exit of the stands, McGonagall stalled them long enough for Dumbledore to move Harry's body off the pitch.

"If you want to see him, go to the hospital wing" McGonagall snapped back at them. Ginny turned and ran toward the hospital wing followed closely by Ron and Hermione, and when they got to the hospital wing, Harry was already lying in a bed, blood covering his chest. Upon seeing him, Ginny ran up to his side and looked down at him. He was completely covered in bruises and unconscious.

"Did you see what caused his fall?" Ron asked.

"Dementor" Ginny told him flatly. They all waited until Harry woke up. The rest of the team showed up before he finally woke. Then, when he did wake, it was a mad dash to his side.

"Give him some room to breathe!" Ron hollered out, causing everybody but Ginny to back off.

"Did we win?" Harry asked.

"Typical Harry, always thinking of others before himself" Ginny muttered.

"Nobody blames you Harry. The Dementors aren't supposed to come on the ground, but Diggory caught the Snitch right after you fell" Hermione said sadly.

"Wood's going to kill me" Harry muttered.

"Oh, no he won't!" Ginny snapped at him.

"Yeah Harry, Wood won't kill you" Katie assured him.

"Yell at you definitely, but he won't kill you" George told him.

"George!" Katie snapped at him.

"Where is Wood?" Harry asked.

"Still in the showers, probably trying to drown himself. Last time he did that was the last time you didn't play" Fred told him.

"Fred!" Angelina exclaimed. Harry laughed at the two Weasley twins before he held his ribs in pain.

"Well, this is rich" Harry muttered.

"We should all give him some space. Look at him; I'm shocked he's even awake. Let him sleep" Alicia said. The team cleared out of the hospital wing, leaving Harry with Hermione, Ron, and Ginny around his bed.

"Maybe we should just put your name at the foot of this bed, mate, you spend more time in it than in your bed in the dorm" Ron told him. Harry rolled his eyes and glanced down at his chest.

"Well that's going to hurt in the morning" Harry said cheerfully.

"I bet it hurts now" Ginny snapped at him. Harry bit his lip and forced a smile in her direction.

"Ginny, leave him alone, all he wants is to make all of us feel better" Ron told her when she glared at Harry.

"Ginny, Ron's right. Being mad at Harry won't help anything. If anything, it will just make everything worse" Hermione told her. Ginny sighed and sat down on Harry's bed. Harry took his arm out from under the sheet and put it around her shoulders, pulling her down into his embrace. He wrapped one arm around her and she placed her head on his shoulder, smiling up at Harry.

Ron cleared his throat, but Harry just shook his head at him, causing Ron to clear his throat again.

"Shut up, Ron, everybody knows you want to do this with Hermione just as much as I want to do this with Harry" Ginny snapped at him.

"Although, I wouldn't recommend a hospital bed, they aren't comfy" Harry said. He looked at Ron's face, which had become about as red as his hair, and Hermione's face which wasn't far off, before continuing.

"Although, being with my favorite red head more than makes up for it" Harry said, winking at Ginny.

"And of course being in the arms of my green-eyed hero makes everything about today better. I wish I could stay here all night" Ginny said, gazing at Harry.

"Well you can, just don't tell Ginny. I don't want her to get jealous" Harry said, winking at her. Ginny playfully hit Harry's chest, forgetting about his injury, and Harry yelped in pain. Ginny jumped off the bed and crawled away from Harry, but he grabbed her hand at the last second.

"Where do you think you're going?" Harry asked her.

"Harry, I'm so sorry, I forgot you were still hurt!" Ginny exclaimed quickly, gazing down at her feet.

"That's why we shouldn't be here, especially with you two in bed together" Ron snapped at them. When Harry pulled Ginny back down next to him, Hermione drug Ron out of the hospital wing despite his desire to attack Harry. Ginny tried to fight Harry but stopped when his left hand moved to his chest, with his right hand still pulling her. She sat back down on his bed and looked down at him.

"Don't go, it's worth it" Harry whispered. Ginny smiled and lay down next to Harry. Harry's potions were making him drowsy, so Ginny whispered to him to go to sleep before closing her eyes herself. She fell asleep right after Harry, despite it being before dinner.

Ginny was forced to leave about two hours after she fell asleep, but Harry had to stay in the hospital wing for the rest of the weekend. He didn't complain and he didn't throw away his nimbus even though it was beyond repair. Harry had Ginny, Hermione, and Ron with him nearly all hours of the day all weekend. They only left when Madam Pomfrey forced them to leave.

Monday morning Harry was allowed to leave, and he found a card from Ginny that sang shrilly to him. Harry laughed, but he kept it in his pocket and he put it in his trunk when he got back to the common room.

* * *

><p>Harry had just finished his first run around the castle since falling off his broom, when he saw Professor Lupin walking outside.<p>

"Professor, may I have a word with you?" Harry asked, stepping into step next to Professor Lupin.

"You want to know why I stopped you from facing that boggart" Lupin asked, though it wasn't much of a question.

"Yes" Harry told him.

"I would think that it would be obvious. I assumed that the boggart would take the shape of Lord Voldemort" Lupin told him.

"I was thinking of Voldemort at first, but then I remembered that thing" Harry told him.

"That suggests that the thing you fear most is fear itself. That's very wise" Lupin told him.

"Could you teach me to fight them?" Harry asked. That stopped Lupin dead in his tracks.

"Why do you want to learn that?" Lupin asked calmly.

"I just want to be able to defend myself from them" Harry told him.

"Do you want to defend yourself or do you want to defend somebody else?" Lupin asked.

"Well is it bad that I want to defend my friends?" Harry asked.

"Harry, I can see right through you. I can tell that you want to protect somebody special to you. But who?" Lupin inquired.

"I don't think that's any of your business" Harry told him.

"But Harry, how can I teach you if I don't know why you want to learn? If you tell me, I can teach you" Lupin told him.

"Fine, I want to protect Ginny. She was sent into the Chamber of Secrets last year and nearly died. Is it so bad that I want to be strong enough to protect her?" Harry asked quietly.

"Not at all, Harry. I just wanted to see how much like James you really are. James learned a patronus charm to protect the woman he loved, and you are doing the same" Lupin said.

"Well will you teach me?" Harry asked.

"Yes, we can start now if you'd like" Lupin said. Harry nodded and followed Lupin back to his office.

* * *

><p>After failing and fainting four times, Harry was nearly 100% out of his mind. Lupin was not too happy.<p>

"I don't think we can do much more today. I'll see you next week same time?" Lupin suggested.

"Just give me one try" Harry begged him. Lupin relented finally and nodded at Harry.

"This will be our last try for today. Are you ready?" Lupin asked. Harry nodded and he took a deep breath as Lupin let the boggart free of the box.

"Expecto Patronum" Harry said calmly, though nothing happened. He took a deep breath and tried it again.

"Expecto Patronum!" Harry said firmly, but this time a silver shadow came out of the end of his wand. The Dementor backed up and Lupin smiled before banishing the boggart back into the box.

"That was very nice, Harry. Now eat this or Madam Pomfrey will have my head" Lupin said, handing Harry a bar of chocolate.

"Now, what memory were you thinking of, if you don't mind my asking" Lupin asked.

"I was thinking of the end of last year when I saved Ginny from the Chamber of Secrets. It was when we were flying out, I looked down at her and I saw her eyes. It was then that I knew that I had made a new friend" Harry told him. Lupin patted him on the shoulder and smiled.

"You are so like your father. He once told me that the memory he used to create his first successful patronus was his first kiss with your mother" Lupin told Harry. Not knowing how to respond to being told about his parents kissing, Harry just took another bite of his chocolate.

"Well, look at the time; I should be letting you get off. So, this time next Monday, shall we?" Lupin suggested.

"Yes, thank you, goodnight Professor" Harry said before leaving and heading back to the common room.

Harry pretty much ran back and jumped through the portrait hole, nearly running Ginny over in the process, though he just spun around her and put his arm around her shoulders as he walked out the portrait hole with her.

"Hey Harry" Ginny said, blushing deeply.

"Where are you going?" Harry asked.

"I was just going to look for you" Ginny told him.

"Well you found me" Harry said, smiling at her, causing her to blush again.

"Where were you?" Ginny asked, gazing up at him.

"I was training with Professor Lupin" Harry told her.

"What were you doing?" she asked, still gazing at him.

"He was just teaching me how to fight off Dementors" Harry told her.

"Oh, is that what your boggart turned into?" Ginny asked, her eyes showing a little bit of fear.

"Yeah, what did yours turn into?" Harry asked. Ginny gulped and gripped onto Harry's arm. He looked down into her eyes and narrowed his eyes in shock.

"What is it? You can tell me?" Harry told her. She gulped and pulled him over to the couch before pushing him down and sitting on his lap.

"I saw you lying on the ground, dead like in my dreams" Ginny whispered to him. Harry felt her shiver and grabbed her hand.

"But I'm alive now" Harry whispered.

"Harry, I was so scared" Ginny whispered, burying her face into his neck.

"I know how you feel" Harry told her.

"Do you?" Ginny asked sarcastically.

"Yes, I do. I saw you in the Chamber of Secrets before you woke up. I was so scared that you wouldn't wake up, I wouldn't have forgiven myself if you hadn't woken up" Harry whispered, closing his green eyes. Ginny shook involuntarily in Harry's arms, a few tears coming from her eyes.

"You're right, how did you get over it?" Ginny asked quietly, talking through her sobs.

"I just remembered that you survived. Which reminds me, I've got something to show you" Harry told her.

"Okay" Ginny said, standing up and wrapping her arm around Harry's back. Harry took a deep breath and got his wand out.

"Expecto Patronum" Harry said strongly, once again envisioning the ride out of the Chamber of Secrets. A silver shadow came out of his wand again and a warm feeling engulfed the room. Harry held the feeling for about 15 seconds before he let the shadow fade away.

"Wow, what was that?" Ginny asked.

"That was a Patronus. It wasn't very good, but it can keep a Dementor away" Harry told her.

"Way to go, Harry, and before the holidays too" Ginny said cheerfully, seemingly forgetting about her Dementor problem.

"Come on, let's go to the feast, maybe Ron and Hermione are still down there" Harry suggested, offering his arm to Ginny. Ginny took it gratefully and smiled at him. They walked out of the portrait hole, arms linked and smiling happily again.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: Well Chapter 5 is done. I think I did a pretty good job with this chapter, although it still has much that I can do better. So please review, spread this story around, more readers are welcome as well as constructive criticism. I love getting constructive criticism because it will help me improve my writing for the future. That is why I say a big thank you to dragyn42 for all the constructive criticism I received. So anyways, please review and spread this story around. I will update as soon as I can, though more reviews would make me update faster. Thanks!<strong>


	6. Home for the Holidays

**Home for the Holidays**

Harry and Ginny walked hand-in-hand with Ron and Hermione to their respective sides to the Hogwarts Express. The four friends went into an open compartment and sat down, Harry and Ginny on one row with Hermione and Ron across from them.

"So, are you coming to the Burrow, Hermione?" Harry asked.

"I might stay for a few days, why do you ask?" Hermione asked.

"Well, for two reasons; first, Harry and I have an announcement that we'd like everybody to hear" Ginny said.

"And secondly, we don't think Ron could last two weeks without touching you" Harry teased. Ron's face and Hermione's face both turned a shade of red that mirrored Ron's hair.

"Does that announcement have anything to do with where you go every night and every morning Harry?" Ron asked.

"No, it doesn't, and I'm not going to tell you" Harry snapped, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Come on Harry, please?" Hermione asked.

"You can trust us, Mate" Ron said. Both were giving him stares of begging and eventually Harry couldn't take it anymore.

"Alright fine, I'll tell you" Harry relented. He got up and looked around the outsides of the compartment and then he shut the compartment. He took his wand out and put up a silencing spell all around the compartment before finally sitting back down next to Ginny.

"Every night and morning I spend my time either running around the castle, working out with the weights in my weight room, or training with the boxing equipment and sparring with the charmed punching bags" Harry explained, much to Ginny's shock and worry.

"You're a boxer now, Harry?" Ron asked.

"Yeah, I have a sparring partner that I can set for however big I want them weight wise and the skill level is from beginner to world champion" Harry explained, causing Ginny to slump down in her seat.

"What's your best?" Ron asked.

"I won against a 154 pound pro before. I am going to fight the 154 pound world champion when we get back to the Burrow" Harry explained.

"How do you not look beaten all the time?" Hermione asked.

"Healing charms to fix cuts and bruises" Harry explained.

"Harry, why is this necessary? You don't need to learn how to box" Hermione argued.

"What if I ever get cornered without my wand? I'm also learning many martial arts as well as my Animagus training, new spells, and wandless magic" Harry told her.

"That's why you are always so tired" Ginny exclaimed, the force of her statement causing Harry to look at her in shock.

"Yes, that is why I'm always so tired. I am working extremely hard to improve my fighting skills and my wand skills as well as strength and speed" Harry explained.

"You're crazy, mate" Ron said, though he was smiling at him.

"Maybe, but I'll be ready when I need to be" Harry said calmly, giving Ginny's hand a small squeeze. She smiled up at him and returned the squeeze. When the two squeezed their hands at the same time, a shock wave was exchanged between the young couple that made them happy but confused at the same time, though their faces only showed the happiness.

"Well, when do we get to see you in action?" Ron asked, his eyes lusting to see Harry fight with somebody.

"Hopefully not soon; the biggest problem with a fight is that somebody always gets hurt" Harry said. Ron's shoulders slumped at that comment and he nodded, keeping quiet.

* * *

><p>After the Christmas Eve dinner, Harry and Ginny called the entire Weasley family into the sitting room for their big announcement. When everybody was waiting, Ginny took a deep breath and smiled at Harry.<p>

"Okay, I'll just say it then. Harry and I are dating" Ginny said strongly. Charlie smirked, Hermione was ecstatic, George handed Fred one sickle, Percy's jaw was at his feet, Mrs. Weasley looked like she was about to yell, Mr. Weasley's gaze was at the floor, Ron was shocked, and Bill looked furious.

"Ginny, your brothers are going to kill me" Harry muttered into her ear.

"I don't think so! That is not going to happen! She's way too young!" Bill yelled.

"I agree! They are too young!" Mrs. Weasley agreed.

"We are not too young!" Ginny yelled back.

"I am your mother; I know what's best for you! What you need is protection!" Mrs. Weasley yelled.

"Harry can protect me better than any of you can!" Ginny yelled back, her face red with anger.

"Well, why don't we put that to the test?" Bill said quietly, his stare cold.

"Excuse me?" Harry asked; a look of shock on his face.

"We fight, you and me, if you win I wont stop you and Ginny from being together but if I win, you two will break it off right now" Bill threatened.

"You know I can't do magic outside of school" Harry told him.

"That's why we will do this muggle style. We are going to fight in a 15 round muggle boxing match" Bill said strongly, glaring at Harry.

"Bill, you are a light heavyweight, and Harry would be less than a featherweight. That's not anywhere near fair" Charlie said, countering Bill successfully.

"In a real fight, everything won't be fair" Bill snapped back at him, wiping Charlie's smirk off his face.

"At least wear gloves" Percy said quietly.

"We will, but first, will Harry accept my challenge?" Bill asked, glaring right at Harry.

"No, he won't" Ginny snapped at him.

"Why don't you let him answer the question, Ginny?" Ron challenged, glaring at Harry along with Bill.

"Fine, Harry, you tell them!" Ginny yelled, her face as red as her hair.

"State your terms" Harry said quietly. Ginny looked at him, completely at a loss for words.

"We do a weigh in, then we fight a 15 round boxing match in a true boxing ring. We will get three neutral judges and a neutral referee to call this fairly. And of course, Fred and George will be the announcers. You can win by knocking your opponent down for 10 seconds, but if that doesn't happen in the 15 rounds, we go to the scorecards" Bill told him.

"No, there will be no fighting in my house!" Mrs. Weasley yelled, her face as red as Ginny's.

"Well Harry, do you accept?" Bill asked, standing up and walking over to the middle of the room. Harry stood up and walked over toward Bill, shaking Ginny's hand off his arm as he walked, much like with Malfoy at the end of his 2nd year. He had the same look of intensity on his face as that confrontation.

"I accept" Harry said quietly, but strongly. Bill smiled and put out his hand, allowing Harry to shake his hand firmly. Harry walked over to Ginny who had her head buried in her arms.

"Just for the record, I'm on Harry's side on this one" Charlie said, walking over to Harry and Ginny.

"I'm with Bill in this argument. I'm sorry Ginny, but I think you're too young" Mr. Weasley said.

"Why is everybody going along with this fight?" Mrs. Weasley demanded.

"Am I the only person who saw Bill with his wand out making this a magical contract?" Harry asked. Everybody nodded except for Charlie who smirked at Harry's bold statement.

"Fine, but I'm with Bill too" Mrs. Weasley snapped.

"Ron, Hermione?" Harry asked.

"I'm with Bill" Ron said.

"I'm with you, Harry" Hermione said, joining Harry, Ginny, and Charlie next to Harry.

"What about your choice, Ginny? Come over here with your family" Mrs. Weasley told her. Ginny pulled her head out of her arms long enough to shake her head at her mother.

"I'm on Harry's side" Ginny said, her voice seemed to be ready to break. Charlie put his hand on Ginny's shoulder and gave her a small smile before she buried her head in her arms again.

"Who is the referee going to be and who are the judges going to be?" Charlie asked.

"Our judges will be Tonks, Lupin, and Hagrid while our referee will be Kingsley" Bill told him.

"Harry, what do you say about that?" Charlie asked.

"Why would we need to bother all of them? Tonks and Lupin are coming over tomorrow anyway, so why don't we just have them with Charlie and Mr. Weasley as our judges. Lupin can be our referee" Harry suggested.

"I'm okay with that" Bill agreed. Harry and Bill shook hands again, ignoring the tears coming from Ginny and Mrs. Weasley.

* * *

><p>When it came to the weigh in, Bill stood 6' 2" and weighed 192 lbs. while Harry stood only 5' 2" and weighed only 117 lbs. Bill was fighting as a Cruiserweight and Harry was fighting as a Bantamweight.<p>

Unlike most boxing matches, Harry and Bill weren't going to wait to fight. They went right outside and got into the boxing ring. After getting directions from Lupin, Harry and Bill got their gloves on and then they took their shirts off just like a real boxing match.

Before the match, Harry just had one thing to tell Charlie.

"Charlie, before this fight, I need you to promise me something" Harry told him.

"Of course, anything" Charlie told him.

"No matter what happens today, you give me your word that you will not stop this fight" Harry told him.

"I promise, Harry" Charlie said. Harry smiled and turned back toward Bill and the fight ahead.

When Fred rang the opening bell, Bill rushed at Harry and began swinging his fists right at him. Harry began ducking and dodging and going after shots to Bill's body. It was shown early that the early stages of the first round would show what would happen throughout the fight.

It was obviously Harry's speed vs. Bill's strength, but it was proven that Harry was perfectly willing to throw a lot of punches at Bill. They fought like that for three rounds until Bill began to take control of the fight early in the fourth round.

About a minute into the fifth round, Bill connected with a huge left hook that knocked Harry down. Harry got up at the count of nine, told Lupin that he was fine and got back into position each time.

Bill knocked Harry down in every round thereafter until the fifteenth round, but Harry got up at the count of nine every time.

After Harry was knocked down for the 6th time, Charlie was getting worried. Lupin wanted him to stop the fight, but Charlie refused.

"I will never stop this fight!" Charlie yelled at Lupin.

"Just stay down!" Bill yelled at Harry when he got up at the count of nine once again. Harry shook his head and told Bill to come on.

The pattern kept up and Bill continued to punch Harry's lights out. It seemed like he was almost taking pleasure in beating on Harry.

Ginny was begging Charlie to stop the fight, but Charlie shook his head, refusing to stop the fight.

After the 14th round, Harry limped back to his corner. He was nearly unable to get up at the last knockdown, but he still managed to get up before Lupin counted to ten. Bill wasn't much better. Though he hadn't been knocked down all through the fight, he was hurting for certain. Harry's body blows had definitely done their job well enough in the fight.

"Harry, if you get knocked down again I'm going to have to stop this fight" Lupin told him.

"Do not stop this fight!" Harry yelled at him. Lupin shook his head and walked away.

"Alright Harry, 15th round; this is it. I know how you can knock him out. You need to keep going to the body and then hit one of your solid uppercuts. Go win my sister's freedom" Charlie told him. Harry nodded through the bruises and pain before standing up in the ring and Charlie getting out of the ring. Bill was looking at him with a look of exasperation but Harry didn't care. Harry told him silently to come on and get some more, so they waited for Fred to ring the bell to start a round for the final time in the fight.

Fred rang the bell and Harry ran out to the center of the ring, swinging his fists into Bill's body as fast as he could. Charlie was smiling on the sidelines, despite his older brother getting beaten up, and he watched as Harry ducked Bill's attempted hook and blew a four punch combination into Bill's ribs. Charlie saw Bill's stance begin to falter and he yelled at Harry to finish it. Harry obliged, hitting five punches to the ribs and then swinging his right fist as hard as he could right into the underside of Bill's jaw.

Harry backed up, grabbing his gloved right hand in pain while Bill fell over straight on his back, crumpled in a mess.

Lupin counted Bill down for a full 10 count before raising Harry's hand in victory. Harry dropped his head in shame and he walked out of the ring, right past the outstretched hand of Charlie. He walked right up to Ginny and stopped right in front of her.

"I'm sorry it had to come to this" Harry told her sadly.

"Harry, I wish it didn't have to end in my oldest brother knocked out, but you proved to everybody that we deserve to be together" Ginny said, wrapping her arms around Harry's neck.

"Hey Harry" a voice from behind him called. It was Charlie with his hand extended for Harry to take. Harry took it and just like before, without breaking their handshake, they embraced each other in a big hug.

When Charlie released Harry, Harry went up to his room and he got into his trunk. He got into the second compartment from the top, but he left the lid of his trunk open.

* * *

><p>When she finally escaped from Charlie's questions about her relationship with Harry, Ginny walked into Harry's room to see the window open and no Harry. She looked out the window, wildly searching the grounds for any sight of him but there was nothing.<p>

Ginny then saw that Harry's trunk was open. She closed and locked the door to the room before jumping into the trunk. She was standing in a big room that looked just like a dueling chamber. She saw Harry sparring in the middle of the room with a silver man.

"Hold, Potter. I see a guest" the silvery man said, his deep baritone voice had a tone of anger which caused Ginny to back away a few steps.

"Ginny, what are you doing here?" Harry asked, looking at her with a look that almost resembled fear.

"Ah, you know each other. Well Potter, we have two options. You can both leave now and we can forget this ever happened or I will not be training you anymore" the silver man snapped. Harry bowed and escorted Ginny to his broom so fast that she had to run to keep up. Even before Harry got on and Ginny got on behind him, Harry kicked off and flew out of the trunk. Harry got off his broom before he shut and locked the trunk. Then he looked back at Ginny.

"Harry, what was that about?" Ginny asked, her face showing her confusion. Harry sighed and sat down on the closed lid of the trunk, pulling Ginny down next to him.

"That was my teacher of all the fighting I've been learning. The only rule he ever gave me is that I would never ever bring anybody into the trunk with me" Harry explained to her.

"Harry, I'm so sorry. I didn't know" Ginny exclaimed, her features showing fear and shock.

"It's okay, just please don't do it again. I'll be able to explain this time, but after this I wont be able to" Harry begged.

"Just come back down so we can finally get the okay to be together from everybody" Ginny begged back, the glint in her eye giving away her hope for forgiveness.

"Deal" Harry said immediately, standing up and opening the door out of the bedroom for Ginny to walk downstairs.

When they got downstairs, Bill was talking with his parents and Charlie at the table while Ron and Hermione were arguing over something with Fred and George watching intently.

"There are the people we need to see" Charlie said, beckoning for Harry and Ginny to come to the table. They did and sat down across from Mr. Weasley and Mrs. Weasley.

"Well, I may not like it, but Ginny, you have my consent to be with Harry. He proved tonight that he can protect you as well as any of us" Mr. Weasley said, gesturing toward the giant bruise on the underside of Bill's jaw.

"Harry, if anybody had to be with Ginny, I'm glad it is you. I now know you will never stop fighting for her. Thank you for the fight, Harry" Bill said, reaching over to shake Harry's hand. Harry accepted and nodded, not smiling at all.

"Although I hate that it had to end this way and I am not happy with Ginny dating, she's been talking about you ever since she could talk, so I'm glad she's with you and not some random boy, though I still hate this" Mrs. Weasley said, though she nodded extremely reluctantly.

"I've been pushing for you two ever since Ginny first told me she loved Harry Potter. Good luck, Harry" Charlie said, winking at Harry and his red faced sister.

"Don't remind me about that, Charlie, I was the one who told Ginny the story about the great Harry Potter every night before she would go to sleep" Mr. Weasley groaned.

"Arthur" Mrs. Weasley hissed, noticing that Ginny had her face in her arms. Bill and Charlie both laughed and they each patted Harry on the shoulder before they both gave each other a knowing look. On cue, Bill picked Ginny up and Charlie picked Harry up and they walked over to the couch. Charlie threw Harry down on the couch and Bill put Ginny down on Harry's lap, causing Ginny to take her head out of her arms long enough to scowl at her oldest brothers. Bill and Charlie feigned innocence as they conjured up chairs and sat down around the couch.

"So Bill, where'd you learn to fight like that?" Harry asked him.

"I was an amateur boxer right after Hogwarts. I ran away, wanting to try a muggle life so I learned to be a boxer. What about you?" Bill asked.

"After years of Dudley breaking my nose I decided to learn how to fight" Harry explained casually. He gave Ginny a squeeze when she squirmed at the thought of Harry's nose being broken. She smiled and sat back against Harry's chest, earning a set of wolf whistles from Fred and George.

"Oh shut up, just because you guys don't have Katie and Angelina here doesn't mean you need to try and take out your frustration on us" Harry said, smirking despite the sight of his red faced girlfriend. Harry and Ginny laughed at the now red faced twins before they were interrupted by Ron and Hermione.

"Ginny, how do you live with him? He is so infuriating!" Hermione shouted, plopping down beside Harry and Ginny. Ron sat down on the other side of Harry and Ginny, still fuming over Harry and Ginny sitting so close.

"I just learn to ignore it, but you can't sit there and tell me you don't love arguing with him. I can tell that you both want to be just as close as me and Harry" Ginny teased.

"I think you are quite right, Ginny, though they shouldn't do what they want to do on the couch. I don't think the couch would survive" Harry teased. Ginny gaped at Harry's comment which caused Ron and Hermione to turn a shade of scarlet that mirrored the signature Weasley hair.

"Harry, could you come with me to the shed for a minute? I need your help" Mr. Weasley said. Harry nodded and he put Ginny in his seat before following Mr. Weasley out to the shed.

"What can I help you with, Mr. Weasley?" Harry asked.

"Nothing right now, I just needed you to come out here so we can talk man to man. Now, do not tell Molly about this, but I am all for you and Ginny being together. After last year, she has rarely been happy" Mr. Weasley said.

"Thank you, sir" Harry said.

"Now I just want to give you a warning. Don't try too hard to be good to her, just be yourself and she will be happy" Mr. Weasley told him.

"Thank you, I will try" Harry said before going back into the house, with plenty to think about for the rest of the night.

* * *

><p>The Weasley family had finished opening presents just before lunch on Christmas morning and nobody had made a comment about Ginny sitting on Harry's lap.<p>

"You can have your Christmas present tonight" Harry whispered into her ear when every single present was opened.

"You didn't need to get me anything, Harry" Ginny whispered back.

"Well I did anyway" Harry told her, smiling slightly.

"So Harry, what are we going to do about your Firebolt?" Hermione asked, bringing Harry and Ginny out of their trance.

"Well, I was thinking about flying it" Harry said sarcastically.

"But you don't even know who sent it!" Hermione argued.

"Who cares? It's a Firebolt!" Ron exclaimed.

"Yeah, let's go fly, Ron" Harry suggested, picking up his Firebolt and gently taking Ginny off his lap.

"Harry, wait! What if Sirius Black sent you that broom and it is rigged?" Hermione yelled after him. Harry just ignored her and he mounted the broom outside the front door to the Burrow. He was about to kick off when Ginny grabbed his arm to stop him.

"Harry, I think Hermione's right" Ginny told him.

"What?" Harry asked, shocked at Ginny.

"I think Hermione's right. What if that broom is full of dark magic?" Ginny asked.

"Well what do you want me to do? Is it so bad that I want to get back on my broom after losing my first ever Quidditch match? I just want to make it up to my team for letting them down!" Harry exclaimed. Ginny hung her head down, realizing what Harry was going through.

"Harry, I know that you're feeling trapped, but what if this broom really is rigged and you get hurt, or worse?" Ginny asked him. Although he wanted to play, he wanted Ginny to be happy even more, so he got off his broom.

"You're right, when we get back to Hogwarts we can take it to McGonagall" Harry said sadly, getting off his broom.

"Thank you Harry, you have no idea what this means to me" Ginny said happily, giving Harry a big hug. Harry smiled and hugged her back.

"So how about I give you your present now" Harry suggested. Ginny's face lit up and Harry pulled her up to his room.

Harry closed and locked the door before putting a silencing charm on the door.

"Close your eyes and hold out your hand" Harry told her. Ginny did so and Harry reached under his pillow to get a small box out. He placed the box in her hands softly and whispered to her to open her eyes. She tried to open the box but she found it wouldn't open.

"Harry, it won't open" Ginny told him.

"Tap it with your wand. I placed a security spell so only the combination of you and your wand could open it. I couldn't open it even if I tried. Nobody but you can" Harry explained. Ginny tapped the box with her wand and silver light emanated from the box. She opened the box and saw a beautiful necklace with a blue sapphire in the middle with a red ruby and a green emerald on each side.

"Oh Harry, this is so beautiful. You didn't need to get something this nice for me" Ginny told him, though as she put it around her neck she was unable to hold back her smile.

"You deserve it after dealing with me for the past year; I wanted to do something nice for you" Harry told her, smiling.

"Thank you Harry, this has been one of the best holidays ever" Ginny told him happily.

"I can agree with that" Harry said, hugging Ginny.

"What were your holidays like with the Dursleys?" Ginny asked extremely quickly, giving Harry barely enough time to make out what she said.

"Well, I usually just spent my time to myself. I didn't want to spend my time with Dudley and all his new toys. I never got anything, so I was so shocked to get presents these last three years. This was probably the best because I got to spend it with all the people I love. But to answer your question, my holidays with the Dursleys were normally not much different than normal days. I still got treated like trash" Harry told her.

"Harry, I'm so sorry" Ginny whispered, sinking her head into his chest.

"It's alright, I'm just happy that I get to spend this holiday with you and your family" Harry told her.

"I'm happy we're allowed to be together" Ginny said.

"When we get back to Hogwarts, I think everybody will know" Harry said happily.

"But remember, we still have to go back to school tomorrow, so you need to get some sleep Mr. Potter" Ginny teased.

"Well Ms. Weasley, I will do just that" Harry said, smirking at her. Ginny smiled and walked out the door. Right before she shut the door she stuck her head back in.

"Harry" Ginny said.

"Yes Ginny?" Harry asked.

"I love the necklace" Ginny told him. Harry felt a warm feeling in his heart and at that moment, he felt like he could produce the world's best Patronus.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: Well I can't believe I got this chapter up so fast. I think I did pretty well in writing this chapter, but the fight was very tough to write, but I think I did alright. Sure, it wasn't very detailed, but this is a HarryGinny story not a Harry fighting Bill story. Anyways, I just wanted to thank everybody who has been reading this story and has made it what it is. This is no doubt my most popular story and I'm proud that many people like it. I would really like for everybody to just chime in a review just to tell me that I'm doing something right or just to tell me something that I could do better. It would really help me write future chapters. So I guess I just really want reviews just so I can improve. Is that too much to ask? Well you tell me! I'll find out eventually, but I hope it's too much to ask.**


	7. The Legend of the Marauders

**The Legend of the Marauders**

Harry and Ginny walked together into the castle after the Holiday break until Harry was pulled off to the side by Fred and George.

"Harry, we don't want to keep you from your girlfriend" Fred said.

"But we feel that it is our duty to give you this" George said, handing Harry a folded piece of parchment.

"Before you say so, it is much more than just a piece of parchment" Fred told him.

"I solemnly swear that I am up to no good" George said, tapping his wand on the parchment.

"You can check up on anybody anywhere at Hogwarts" Fred told him.

"But when you're done you need to conceal the map again" George told him.

"Mischief managed" Fred said, tapping the map with his wand.

"Otherwise anybody can read it" the twins said in unison before giving Harry the map and disappearing.

Harry put the map into his pocket and proceeded to rejoin Ginny.

"What was that about?" Ginny asked him as she retook his hand.

"Fred and George wanted to give me this peace of parchment" Harry told her, showing her the parchment.

"What is it?" Ginny asked. Harry looked up and his eyes grew big.

"Fawkes" Harry said. He reached out his arm and Fawkes landed on his arm, carrying a note. Harry looked at Ginny to see her confused expression before he read the note.

"Harry, please come to my office as soon as possible. Thank you, Professor Dumbledore" Harry and Ginny read.

"Oh, well Harry, you shouldn't keep Dumbledore waiting" Ginny said, though Harry could hear her disappointment.

"I'll try to get done quick, that way I can still spend as much time as possible with you before the Quidditch match this afternoon" Harry suggested.

"You promise?" Ginny asked, looking down slightly.

"I promise" Harry told her. Ginny smiled and gave him a hug before she allowed him to go to his meeting with Dumbledore.

Harry went through the Gargoyle and walked into Dumbledore's office.

Harry and Dumbledore exchanged pleasant greetings and then they got down to business.

"Harry, have you ever heard of Occlumency?" Dumbledore asked.

"Yes, I have. Why do you ask?" Harry asked in return.

"I think it is time for you to learn Occlumency, Harry" Dumbledore told him.

"I've already started learning. My shields aren't perfect yet, but they can keep many people out of my head" Harry told him.

"Would you mind me seeing for myself?" Dumbledore asked.

"Go ahead" Harry told him.

"Legillimens" Dumbledore muttered and he entered Harry's mind. When Dumbledore entered Harry's mind, he saw a brick wall that he could get through, but it was formidable nonetheless. Dumbledore exited Harry's mind and looked at the 3rd year student in his presence.

"How did you do that without an instructor to help?" Dumbledore asked. Harry instinctively thought about his instructor, the silver man who has been teaching Harry everything about fighting as well.

"Lots of meditation, sir" Harry told him. It wasn't a lie. Harry had been instructed to do a lot of meditating from his instructor and the progress that Harry had made because of all the meditation was amazing.

"Interesting" Dumbledore muttered, though it seemed like he didn't quite believe Harry.

"May I go, sir? I promised Ginny that I would meet her in the common room before the Quidditch game today" Harry told him. Dumbledore dismissed Harry who quickly ran toward the Gryffindor Common Room.

* * *

><p>Harry and Ginny had been sitting together for about 45 minutes, just talking with each other, when Neville ran into the Common Room at full speed.<p>

"Harry, Ginny, Hermione's been cursed! She's right outside" Neville shouted at them. Harry and Ginny got up and sprinted to Hermione.

"Somebody, do something! Look at all this blood!" Ginny shouted as she ran toward Hermione's body. Ron was already around her and Hermione was bleeding like crazy.

"Back away a few inches" Harry ordered softly as he whipped his wand out and knelt down next to Hermione.

"Vulnera Sanentur" Harry said, his wand pointed right at Hermione's wound. Then the blood began to flow back into the wound. Harry repeated the spell again and the wound began to mend back together like it was being stitched together. The large crowd of students and even teachers were looking in shock at Harry healing the girl who a minute ago was covered completely in blood.

Ginny held tightly to Harry's left arm as he repeated the spell for a third time. After that, all signs of the wound disappeared except for a thin scar where the wound used to be.

"Bloody hell" Ron muttered.

"Whoa" Neville said.

Hermione then sat up with a spark. Her movement was met with thunderous applause from the giant crowd.

"What happened? I thought I was going to die!" Hermione exclaimed.

"It looked pretty bad, but Harry here fixed you up as good as new" Ron said, clasping Harry on the shoulder. Hermione jumped at Harry and gave him a big hug, though stopped due to the wolf whistles coming from the crowd.

"It was just a spell" Harry told her when she let him go.

"It was not just a spell. It was a spell that hardly anybody has the raw power to perform. The only people I have ever seen do it is Professor Dumbledore" McGonagall exclaimed.

"What happened to you, Hermione?" Ginny asked, nobody noticing that she had moved onto Harry's lap after he had finished healing Hermione.

"I had found Scabbers and I was going to return him to Ron as a little gift, but then I got attacked by a big black dog that seemed almost like he was going after Scabbers. Then I blinked and Scabbers was gone, but a short bald man was in his place. Next thing I knew, I saw this" Hermione told them.

"Well, this is certainly an exciting way to start a day for Quidditch" Ginny joked.

"Oh man, Harry, you need to go, Mate or Wood's going to kill you!" Ron said to him.

"Right, see you all after the match" Harry told them, giving Ginny a quick kiss on her cheek as he ran toward the locker rooms.

* * *

><p>Gryffindor was leading Ravenclaw 80 points to 30 points when Harry saw a small golden glimmer across the field, right next to Oliver Wood. Harry took the Firebolt into a full sprint across the field. Cho followed him as close as Harry streaked for the snitch. She screamed and pointed up at a few Dementors. Not even slowing down, Harry got his wand out of his cloak.<p>

"Expecto Patronum" Harry shouted. A silver fog erupted from his wand tip and then, without slowing down to put his wand back, Harry roared for the goal post where the golden snitch was still floating.

"What are you doing?" Wood screamed when Harry swooshed right by him, right at the goal post.

* * *

><p>Ginny saw Harry's Patronus and she continued following his figure up to Wood. Like Wood, she screamed when she saw Harry fly past Wood at full speed. He put his feet onto the broom and he continued toward the left goal post, where the golden snitch was. Ginny let out another scream when Harry dived right through the goal post, leaving his broom. He reached his arm out for the snitch and he dived back onto his broom at the last second.<p>

Ginny let out one final scream, this one of joy when she saw that Harry had caught the snitch. She lost sight of Harry when his teammates engulfed him. During that, she herself embraced Ron and Hermione in giant hugs of joy. Gryffindor was not out of the running for the house cup yet.

* * *

><p>After the match, everybody was partying in the Gryffindor Common Room after their big win.<p>

"Everybody, everybody, attention, attention" Wood called out, tapping a glass with his wand to make it heard. When it was quiet again, Wood continued.

"I'd like to call out for a toast to Harry Potter and his new Firebolt. The combination of the two has made for the best seeker that Gryffindor House and Hogwarts in total has ever seen, even greater than captain of our last winning Quidditch team, Charlie Weasley. Now, as long as he can keep himself out of detention for this match, Gryffindor will be the Quidditch Champions again! To Harry" Wood called out. Echoes of Harry's name were heard all over the common room as everybody drank in Harry's honor.

When they were doing that, they heard somebody clear their throat at the back of the room. Harry instinctively wrapped his arms protectively around Ginny before turning to look in the direction of the noise. The person who made it was none other than a smirking Charlie Weasley.

"First off, I came to see this match because I heard that somebody had become a superior seeker to me. Oliver, as your captain, I am almost insulted to hear you say that I'm not the best seeker in the house history, but after this performance today, I realize that you were correct. Harry that was the best catch I have ever seen. However, if you don't win the Quidditch Cup this year I will have to take back my word. To Harry" Charlie said, smirking before raising his glass. Wood had fallen down, and everybody on the Quidditch Team (save Fred, George, and Harry), were on their knees in front of Charlie Weasley.

Charlie Weasley, the man who captained Gryffindor to 4 consecutive Quidditch Championships from his 3rd to 6th year before he dropped out of school to go to Romania the minute he turned 17, after winning the first Quidditch Match of the year. Wood remembered clearly that Charlie had left the day of the second Quidditch Match of the year.

Charlie walked over to Harry and Ginny, noticing that they were in a chair together.

"Harry, I don't see how sitting there with my sister on your lap is helping you with Quidditch, but I must say that I did the exact same thing with my girlfriend after the second match the first year I won the Quidditch Cup" Charlie told him, laughing at him calmly. Harry and Ginny were red in the face at Charlie's comment. Charlie conjured up a chair for himself before sitting across from Harry and Ginny.

"In seriousness, Harry, you are a very good seeker and excellent spellsman from what I saw today on the Quidditch Pitch. And from what I see right now, you are even better at making a young lady happy" Charlie said, winking at Harry who had turned a darker shade of red than Ginny's hair. Ginny, however, shook off her embarrassment and turned to kiss Harry's cheek.

"Well done, Ginny, well done. Now, don't tell Mum I've taught you that kissing your significant other is always how you fix a problem" Charlie said, winking at the couple before walking out toward the portrait hole to leave.

Harry was red faced and he was yet still enjoying himself with his friends, specifically with Ginny who had curled herself up underneath Harry's arm as Charlie left, smiling contently as the heat from Harry's body kept her comfortably warm.

"Wow Harry, Ron has been really cool with us being so close" Ginny whispered into Harry's ear.

"Yeah, it's great. I don't know why he is so cool with us, but he is" Harry muttered.

"Take a guess" Ginny told him, a twinkle in her eye as she ordered Harry to do so.

"He is probably afraid of all the hexes you've learned this year" Harry suggested, smiling slightly.

"I don't think that's it. I think it's actually because of what happened last year. You saved my life by killing a basilisk and destroying Tom Riddle. That was something that nobody else could have done and you did it even before we even had a full conversation. He knows you and he knows that that means that you will do everything in your power to keep me safe" Ginny told him.

"Wow, Gin that was beautiful. How long did it take you to come up with that?" Harry asked her, blushing slightly.

"Hermione asked me if I knew why Ron wasn't yelling at our relationship anymore, so I came with that" Ginny told him.

"Good plan; and you're right" Harry told her.

"What are you talking about? Did you and Ron talk about our relationship?" Ginny demanded.

"No, I mean that I will do everything in my power to keep you safe" Harry promised her. Ginny blushed and gave Harry a hug.

"I know you will, that's why you two are in this position" a voice from behind said.

"There are more reasons why we are sitting here" Harry argued, turning to face a stone faced Ron.

"Well I don't want to know those reasons. I just know that Ginny's long explanation was right" Ron said before he turned and went back to Hermione. Harry and Ginny looked at each other with confusion.

"What was that about?" Harry asked.

"I don't know, but I hate to think that I'm breaking up the Golden Trio" Ginny said sadly.

"I am more afraid about messing up the relationship with your family" Harry told her.

"You won't do that. They trust me and if for some reason they try to break us off, then I will talk some sense into them" Ginny promised him.

Harry paled slightly at the thought of a civil war between the Weasleys. He didn't want to be the cause of that again. After his boxing match with Bill, Harry promised himself that he would never be the cause of anything like that again.

"Ginny, after my fight with Bill, I promised myself that I would not be the cause of another fight in your family" Harry told her. Harry felt Ginny's shudder and he held her tight.

"It was so scary to see my boyfriend fight my brother" Ginny agreed. Then she paused. It seemed like she was searching for the right words.

"I wanted to stop the fight so many times, but I knew I couldn't. Late in the fight, after seeing you lose so much blood, I made the choice to honor what you did for us. You took 15 rounds of abuse from my brother just to give us a chance to be together, so I will honor your sacrifice by caring for you like you do for me" Ginny told him. Then she faltered momentarily.

"How did you heal yourself from all that blood, Harry?" Ginny asked, shivering at the image of Harry's bloody form lying on the ground.

"I know a spell that can fix just about any injury" Harry told her, squeezing her comfortingly.

"Can I see it?" Ginny asked.

"Not if we can avoid it. I only use it when somebody is seriously hurt" Harry told her.

"Okay, so what are we going to do?" Ginny asked.

"Charlie and the twins are on our side, no matter what anybody says, but I'm still worried about you everyone else will react. In my life I've only known two families; your family and the Dursleys. One family likes me and one family hates me. I don't want to lose the family that actually likes me" Harry argued. Ginny was amazed at how easily Harry could talk about not being loved by the Dursleys, not being loved by anyone for 11 years, and in her head she promised to make Harry feel loved for as long as they spent together, whether it would be for just another day or if they were destined to be together forever.

"So how are you coping with the Chamber of Secrets incident last year?" Harry asked, noticing that she was deep in thought. Ginny closed her eyes and leaned back into Harry.

"Ever since we really started being close, the nightmares have slowed down a little bit but they haven't stopped. Everything that scared me about the Chamber has stopped scaring me as much but it still does" Ginny told him, closing her eyes and laying her head down on Harry's shoulder.

"Is there anything I could do to help? I still feel partially responsible for what happened" Harry said sadly.

"Well, there actually could be something. I don't know if it will help, but it's the only idea I have. But you may not like it" Ginny said calmly, trying to gauge Harry's reaction.

"What's your idea?" Harry asked, not at all bothered by Ginny's attempted gauging of his reaction.

"I want you to take me down to the Chamber of Secrets" Ginny said, closing her eyes as if she was waiting for Harry to blow up, but he never did. Instead, he had his eyes closed and he was looking straight ahead.

"Harry?" Ginny asked.

"Why do you think going to the Chamber of Secrets would help you?" Harry asked; his expression still unreadable. His tone was not harsh, so Ginny couldn't be mad at him. He was just concerned.

"I just thought that maybe going to the source of my troubles might bring me some closure and maybe stop the nightmares" Ginny said, still holding tight onto Harry's neck.

"Ginny, I will take you down to the Chamber of Secrets if you just tell me a few simple things about you" Harry told her finally.

"Alright, what do you want to know?" Ginny asked, breathing a small sigh of relief.

"What are you afraid of?" Harry asked. That was the last question she expected from Harry. Part of her didn't want to tell him, but she knew that she would be able to trust him.

"I'm actually afraid of a lot of thing, but don't tell anybody" Ginny warned.

"I won't" Harry promised.

"I'm afraid of storms, I always have been and I don't know why. I'm afraid of Tom Riddle and his Basilisk. I'm afraid of spiders, just like Ron. I have been afraid of you dying for as long as I can remember. I'm also afraid of being left behind by everyone just because I'm the youngest" Ginny told him slowly, as if she was afraid of telling him her fears.

"Thank you for telling me" Harry said truthfully.

"I know I can trust you, Harry. But you still need to take me to the Chamber of Secrets" Ginny reminded. Harry looked from her to the clock quickly.

"Tomorrow, right after your final class, meet me here and we'll go down" Harry suggested. Ginny smiled and wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Thank you, Harry. I really want these nightmares to go away and this may be the only way" Ginny told him.

"I know, Gin, I know" Harry told her, kissing her cheek softly.

* * *

><p>Harry met up with Ginny at 2:15 the next day, right after Ginny's final class and he put the invisibility cloak over both of them and his broom before going to Moaning Myrtle's Bathroom.<p>

Harry spent the entire trip to Myrtle's bathroom trying to get Ginny to change her mind, but she wouldn't budge. When they got into the bathroom and the door closed, Harry took off the cloak.

"Are you totally sure you want to do this?" Harry asked, gazing down in Ginny's eyes, seeing her pale white face.

"Just open it" Ginny told him, her expression completely unreadable. Harry sighed and turned toward the sink, only to meet Moaning Myrtle's gaze.

"Oh Harry, where do you think you're going?" Myrtle asked, gazing down at Harry.

"Down to the Chamber of Secrets" Harry said simply.

"Well, if you die down there, you're still welcome to share my toilet" Myrtle said, winking. Harry faked vomiting before burying his head gently in Ginny's shoulder in mock fear.

"Harry, let's please get on with it" Ginny whispered. Harry pulled his head away from Ginny and turned toward the toilet.

"Open" Harry hissed in Parseltongue. The snake-sink sank right out of sight, just like before, and the other sinks spread out, leaving a giant area to get into the Chamber of Secrets. It was easily big enough for the Basilisk that Harry had killed nearly 12 months prior.

"Are you ready to go?" Ginny asked.

"I'm ready if you are" Harry told her.

"Mount your broom" Ginny told him. He did so and she got on behind him. She held onto his waist and Harry kicked off, causing them to dive down into the Chamber of Secrets.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: I'm very proud with how I did in this chapter. I think I did a really good job, but I really hope I get more reviews than I got for the last chapter. I only got 4 or 5 reviews for Chapter 6. <strong>**. Help me out, I want to get learn how to get better at writing and make my story better for the people who like to read it. Review and help me out!**


	8. Return to the Chamber of Secrets

**Return to the Chamber of Secrets**

Harry landed the broom and dismounted, walking slowly, seeing that Ginny was not going to take the lead. He quickly shrunk his Firebolt and stuck it in his pocket before continuing slowly.

"Are you ready to go, Harry?" Ginny asked, noticing that he was moving very slowly. He nodded and began to walk deeper into the Chamber, Ginny following him closely. When they found the basilisk's skin, Ginny looked like she was going to have a heart attack.

"Don't worry, it's just skin" Harry promised her. They then got to the rock passage that had miraculously not sealed itself since the small explosion that caused the loss of Lockhart's mind.

"Do you still want to go on?" Harry asked, hoping that she would say no, but instead, she began to crawl up the rocks to the little hole that remained. Harry sighed and followed her. Not stopping, they spent the time going down the seemingly endless passage that led to the scene of the crime. Then finally, they came to the last solid wall before the end.

"This is our last chance to turn back" Harry warned her.

"I know; open the door" Ginny snapped. Harry sighed and turned back toward the large door.

"Open" Harry hissed in Parseltongue. The door opened, and Harry followed Ginny into the main chamber. He could see Slytherin's face and he walked close to Ginny. They stopped when they were in the middle of the room, where Harry had killed Tom Riddle, and below the point where Harry killed the basilisk.

When Ginny saw the scene, she fell to her knees and cried. She cried like she had never cried before. When Harry reached out to her, she swung her fists and feet at him, basically anything to stop him from getting to her. Confused, Harry stayed out of her strike zone, but still just near enough for her to hear him.

"Ginny, it's over. Tom Riddle is dead. The basilisk is dead. Neither of them can hurt you anymore. It's over" Harry told her.

"This is the spot" Ginny whispered, finally ceasing to beat Harry with everything but the kitchen sink.

"This is the spot that it all ended" Harry agreed, pulling her into a soft embrace.

"No, this is the spot that I could have killed you. You nearly died and what for; me, stupid Ginny Weasley. Stupid, ugly, short, immature, gullible, weak, pathetic me!" Ginny screamed at him. It was a good thing that they were so far away from anybody who could overhear. Harry didn't say anything for a moment, causing Ginny to wonder if he was thinking the exact thing she'd said, but didn't want to say. As she began to extract herself from him, feeling worse than before, his arms wrapped around her into a tight embrace and he whispered softly into her ear.

"I would do it again in a heartbeat" Harry whispered. At that, Ginny's crying was just tears, not her trying to hit Harry. Harry, on the other hand, was shockingly calm and he just held Ginny, not knowing what else to do.

"Ginny, listen to me, Tom Riddle is dead. He can't hurt you anymore. I destroyed him and I killed his basilisk" Harry reminded her.

"I know, but I still could have killed so many muggleborns" Ginny whispered, unable to stop her tears from falling freely as Harry held her tight against his body, her head against his chest.

"But you didn't. What's done is done, Gin, you can't change what happened last year. But you did all of that under the control of Tom Riddle. He doesn't control you, Gin, you are free" Harry told her. At that, Ginny sniffled and stopped crying before hugging Harry.

"Thanks Harry, you're right" Ginny whispered, wiping her tears.

"Are you ready to go?" Harry asked. Ginny nodded and Harry returned his broom to normal size. He got on, Ginny getting on behind him and Harry sped out of the Chamber of Secrets, going at a high rate of speed simply so Ginny would hold on tight, and his plan worked. They got back into Myrtle's bathroom before they dismounted and Harry put the Firebolt back into his pocket.

Then, ignoring Myrtle's pleas for him to stay, Harry put his arm around Ginny and walked her back to the Common Room before going out to Quidditch Practice, one of the last before the final match with Slytherin.

* * *

><p>After a grueling Quidditch practice, Harry walked into the Gryffindor common room to see his three friends on the couch. After exchanging greetings, Harry turned to Ron who had cleared his throat.<p>

"So Harry, would you like to explain why you haven't been in your bed all year?" Ron asked. Harry gulped and looked up to see Hermione and Ginny joining Ron in giving him glares of curiosity.

"You haven't been in your bed all year?" Hermione asked him.

"What have you been doing?" Ginny demanded, glaring at her boyfriend.

"I have been working to become an Animagus and working out all year. I've also been doing a lot of studying outside of school because I want to work more toward the final battle with Voldemort" Harry explained.

"So where have you been sleeping?" Hermione asked him.

"In my trunk" Harry said simply.

"You have a bed in your trunk?" Ginny asked.

"Yeah, and it hasn't been broken in yet" Harry said, winking at her. Ron gagged and Ginny was at a loss for words.

"I'm just teasing. But yeah, I have a room in my trunk and I've spent my nights working out, studying or training" Harry explained.

"What about sleeping?" Ginny demanded; her worry evident in her expression.

"I already told you. I have a bed in my trunk" Harry told her.

"I know you said that, but you never mentioned how much you have used it" Ginny snapped at him.

"I use it every night. I'm in that bed about 8 hours every night" Harry told her.

"You sleep for 8 hours every night?" Ginny demanded him.

"No, I sleep for about 6 hours every night" Harry told her, shrugging as if he didn't think there was anything wrong with that.

"Harry, you need more than 6 hours of sleep" Hermione lectured.

"Hermione, I don't think you should be talking. You look like you only get 4 hours of sleep every night" Harry countered. Blushing, Hermione had no comment for Harry.

"We are not talking about Hermione! We are talking about why you are killing yourself!" Ginny yelled at him.

"I am not killing myself! I am doing what I need to do to stop myself from being killed! I know Voldemort will be back, and I know that eventually I am going to have to fight him again! I don't want to die when that time happens!" Harry yelled back. With that, he stormed out of the Gryffindor Common Room, leaving his three shocked friends behind.

* * *

><p>Harry didn't return to the Common Room until late that night, and when he did, he didn't talk to his three friends who were obviously waiting for him. They tried to flag him down, but he just went up to the boys' dormitory. He knew Ron was going to follow, so he went into his trunk to train with his instructor and he locked the trunk from the inside so Ron couldn't follow.<p>

"Good evening Potter, take a seat, we won't be doing anything physical tonight" the silver man said, gesturing toward a lone chair in the center of the dueling chamber. Harry sat down and looked up.

"Potter, I know you need to do more work to finally face Voldemort, and I have an idea that will make that easier in the long run. I also know about your relationship with young Ginny Weasley, and I need to address that tonight" the silver man told him.

"What is your idea, sir?" Harry asked.

"This year you will take your third year exams. I want you to take your O.W.L. exams next year, and your N.E.W.T. exams the year after" the silver man told him.

"How am I going to do that? O.W.L. exams are for 5th years and N.E.W.T. exams are for 7th years" Harry told him.

"I know, which is why this summer you will be learning the 4th year curriculum and next summer you'll learn the 6th year curriculum" the silver man told him.

"What will I do after that then?" Harry asked.

"That is when we will have two years to focus on your training skills. Your Occlumency shields are currently very impressive, but they are not perfect. We also need to keep up your boxing skills and your weightlifting as well as your running. Have you thought about what you want to do for a career yet?" the silver man asked.

"I was thinking an Auror. I heard Dumbledore talking about them and I think I'd be good at that" Harry said.

"Good, then we can use that time to get you ready for your Auror training. Pitch the idea to Dumbledore, alone, and tell me what he says" the silver man said.

"Alright, what do we need to talk about my relationship with Ginny?" Harry asked him.

"Harry, have you ever heard of a soul bond, Potter?" the silver man asked.

"No, sir" Harry said.

"I think you and Ginny are in the early stages of a soul bond. I have no doubt that it was conceived when you saved her life in the Chamber of Secrets. You are not very far into this bond, but that does not change that it is still there. You need to protect her" the silver man told him.

"I am protecting her" Harry told him.

"I know that, but remember this; I know that eventually you will think that protecting her will mean keeping her out of the fight to keep her out of danger. That is not the case. To protect her, you need to make her happy, love her and cherish her" the silver man told him.

"But I don't know anything about a soul bond" Harry told him.

"Ask your dearest friend Hermione. I'm sure she would be glad to go to the library" the silver man said.

"Is that all, sir?" Harry asked. The silver man nodded, and Harry left the training chamber and entered the house. Harry cooked himself a little dinner before retiring to his bedroom. He meditated for a few minutes, strengthening his Occlumency shields before retiring for the night.

* * *

><p>The next morning, Harry woke up and he walked out of his trunk, careful not to wake any of his roommates up. Harry went for a five mile run, part of his normal training regiment before he went back into the school. When he finished his run, he went back to the Gryffindor Common Room, expecting to have a smooth passage back to his trunk to take a shower before the day, but he saw Ginny.<p>

"Good morning, Ginny" Harry said casually, noticing that she still looked very angry. If looks could kill, there would have been a memorial for Harry Potter that evening.

"What have you been up to?" Ginny asked; her tone coated with venom.

"I just went for a run" Harry told her, figuring that honesty would be his best bet, seeing that Ginny was already furious.

"Oh, so you completely disregarded anything that I said last night?" Ginny asked, glaring at Harry.

"No, I didn't disregard what you said. Ginny, I'm not killing myself. You know that the reason I'm doing this is to prepare for my fight with Voldemort and I want to be prepared. I won't do anything that is bad for my health, but all I'm doing is training. I'm still getting enough sleep" Harry told her.

"Harry, you're only one person. You need to rest" Ginny snapped at him.

"What about Hermione? She only gets four hours of sleep every night, a full two hours less than me, and you don't seem to care" Harry retorted.

"Hermione's not my boyfriend" Ginny muttered, too quiet for Harry to hear her clearly.

"What did you say?" Harry asked.

"Hermione's not my boyfriend! If something bad happens to her, that's bad, but if something happens to you, I don't know what I would do!" Ginny shouted, before falling into Harry's chest, crying uncontrollably. Harry wrapped his arms around her, soothing her, unsure about what to say.

"Ginny, I didn't know you were so worried. But you need to trust that I know when to stop. I am not doing anything that hurts me, I'm not hurt at all" Harry promised her.

"I know you are; I'm just scared of losing you" Ginny told him.

"Have I not been spending enough time with you?" Harry asked, wondering if he'd been a bad boyfriend.

"No, that's not it. You've been a perfect boyfriend, I just got so used to having you all to myself all the time that when you started doing more and more working out, I started to miss the time we spent together" Ginny told him, wiping her eyes clear of her tears.

"I'm sorry, I didn't know you felt that way. I missed our unlimited time together, but I just told myself that you would like some time away from me" Harry told her.

"I don't want to be away from you, Harry. You're my boyfriend" Ginny reminded him, pushing him down onto the chair behind him and proceeding to sit on his lap.

"I still can't believe it" Harry muttered.

"You can't believe what?" Ginny asked, looking into his eyes from her seat on his lap.

"I still can't believe you're my girlfriend" Harry told her.

"Harry, we've been together for 9 months and it still hasn't sunk in yet?" Ginny asked, incredulously. Harry shrugged.

"I just never thought that I would be able to have a girlfriend, let alone one as amazing as you" Harry whispered, his eyes showing the emotion in his words.

"What makes you say that?" Ginny asked, clearly confused.

"Who would want to date the boy who lived? Wait, that's not exactly it. More like, who would want to date the boy who comes within an inch of death multiple times every year?" Harry asked her, sighing slightly.

"I do. Harry, I'll admit that I hate it that you nearly die so often, but it is one of the things that I truly admire about you. You are willing to do anything and everything to complete your goal. I wish you would be safer, but I know that this is just you being who you are and you being a hero" Ginny told him.

"I wonder when people will begin to realize that I'm really not a hero. I'm just Harry" he exclaimed, burying his face into Ginny's hair.

"Well just Harry, you may not be a hero, but you're still my knight in shining armor. You saved my life. You let yourself be hurt. You almost died to save me. You killed a basilisk and you destroyed Tom Riddle's diary while saving me at the same time. You didn't even know me last year as anything more than Ron's little sister and you still risked your life to save mine" Ginny said, scooting close to him, and they could feel energy from the touch surround them.

"What was that?" Ginny asked. Harry knew she was talking about the energy from their touch. Harry took a deep breath and thought about how he was going to explain this to Ginny. Harry cast some silencing charms around him and Ginny before taking a deep breath.

"Ginny, this may come as a shock to you, but last year when I saved your life in the Chamber of Secrets, a soul bond was created" Harry told her.

"You're trying to tell me that you and I are soul bonded? I thought soul bonds were only in fairy tales" Ginny scoffed, obviously skeptical.

"I don't know anything about a soul bond, but that is what my teacher told me" Harry told her.

"We need to find out what this is. We need to go to the library" Ginny told him.

"We need help, Gin. We need help from Hermione" Harry said.

"You're right. Nobody knows the library as well as Hermione. We'll ask her today. Is there anything else that you need to talk to me about?" Ginny asked.

"Yes, my plans for the rest of school. If Professor Dumbledore agrees, I'm going to take 4th year classes this summer, O.W.L. classes next year, 6th year classes next summer, and N.E.W.T. classes my fifth year" Harry told her.

"What will you do after that? Are you going to leave Hogwarts?" Ginny asked, fearing that she would lose him two years earlier than anticipated.

"No, I'm going to be doing some independent training to become an Auror and face Voldemort" Harry told her.

"So you'll still be at Hogwarts, you'll just be doing some different things?" Ginny asked.

"Yeah, as long as Dumbledore agrees with the plan" Harry told her.

"Are you still going to play Quidditch?" Ginny asked.

"I hope so. I want to play, and I will if I'm allowed" Harry promised.

"Who do you want to talk to first, Hermione or Dumbledore?" Ginny asked him.

"I'll go talk to Dumbledore first. Then when I get back we can talk to Hermione" Harry told her.

"I want to go to talk to Dumbledore with you" Ginny told him.

"As much as I appreciate that, Gin, I think I should go talk to Dumbledore myself. It's not that I don't want you there, it's just that I have orders to go to Dumbledore alone" Harry explained hastily.

"Oh, alright" Ginny said sadly. Harry noticed that she was still sad about not being able to spend as much time with him.

"We are going to talk to Hermione together, I promise" Harry told her. Ginny smiled slightly and pulled Harry into a close hug before getting off of him so he could go talk to Dumbledore.

Harry walked to Dumbledore's office and stopped outside the gargoyle before realizing that he didn't know the password. Harry cursed under his breath and quickly went into the nearest bathroom. Harry took a deep breath and changed into his phoenix Animagus form. Harry used his fire apparition to flame into the hallway outside Dumbledore's office, still beyond the gargoyle before he changed back into his human form.

Harry knocked on the door and heard Dumbledore call for him to come in.

"Good morning, sir" Harry said, closing the door behind him.

"Harry, to what do I owe this pleasure?" Dumbledore asked, completely shocked to see him. Dumbledore was so shocked that Harry saw that he didn't have the normal twinkle in his eye.

"Plans for the future school years, sir" Harry told him.

"May I hear your plan then?" Dumbledore asked.

"What I would like to do for these next two years is take my O.W.L. exams next year and N.E.W.T. classes in two years" Harry explained.

"You are proposing that you skip two years of classes" Dumbledore exclaimed.

"No, I will study my fourth and sixth years during the summer" Harry told him.

"Why would you want to do this?" Dumbledore asked.

"Sir, I know that I will have to face Voldemort again and I want to be ready, so I would spend the two years that I'm still at school doing extra training" Harry told him.

"Well, Harry, personally I don't think that would be such a good idea, but I have a deal for you. If you can pass all of your exams, improve your Occlumency shields to a satisfactory point, and become an Animagus, I will allow you to do this" Dumbledore suggested, the twinkle in his eye returning.

"Alright, can you check my Occlumency shields?" Harry asked.

"Legillimens" Dumbledore muttered. He entered Harry's mind and saw shields that were outstanding, especially for a 3rd year. Dumbledore attempted to get through the walls, but when he got through the outer wall, he was met with a brick wall. When Dumbledore tried to get through the brick wall, he saw visions of his sister at the mercy of Grindlewald. Ignoring that, he saw mirror images of that all around him.

"Why didn't you protect her, Albus?" an old woman asked him. Dumbledore quickly retreated and he exited Harry's mind, taking a deep breath as he did so.

"What do you think, sir?" Harry asked.

"Harry, your shields were some of the best I've ever seen. How did you get the idea to use your opponent's biggest fears to keep them out?" Dumbledore asked.

"I remembered the reactions on the faces of all of my friends when Professor Lupin showed us the boggart. My shields are there so the deeper you get, the more profound your fears become. If you get deep enough, you will begin to relive your worst memories" Harry explained.

"Very good, Harry, any other surprises for me this morning?" Dumbledore asked, still breathing deeply after seeing his dead sister again.

"Actually yes, I am an Animagus" Harry told him. Harry turned into a phoenix to show Dumbledore. Dumbledore clapped and motioned for Harry to return to the seat across the desk.

"Harry, I am a man of my word, so if you can pass your 4th year exams at the end of the summer, I will allow you to join the 5th years for O.W.L. exams next year" Dumbledore said.

"Sir, if I am able to do this, will I still be able to play Quidditch after taking my N.E.W.T. exams?" Harry asked.

"You will be able to play as long as you are in your 7 year stay at Hogwarts" Dumbledore told him.

"Thank you, sir" Harry said, before leaving Dumbledore's office, going right back to the Gryffindor Common Room, but he was intercepted by Ginny, Ron, and Hermione walking to breakfast.

"Hey, Harry, any luck?" Ginny asked, walking into a hug.

"Yep, everything is set" Harry told her happily.

"What's going on?" Ron asked.

"Harry's going to be a 5th year next year and a 7th year the year after, but he's still going to be at Hogwarts after that" Ginny said happily.

"Why are you doing that?" Hermione asked.

"I will need the two years to train for my fight with Voldemort. I'll still be at the school and playing Quidditch and everything, I will just be in different classes" Harry told them.

"Wow, you're crazy" Ron told him, though Harry could tell Ron was happy that Harry was doing something good for him.

"Speaking of Quidditch, the match is this Saturday, are you ready?" Hermione asked.

"Yeah, have you found anything out about that attack before the last match? I know I haven't been much help, but have you found anything" Harry asked as they walked down to the great hall for breakfast.

"No, I haven't had any luck on finding out who had done it yet" Hermione told him.

"But we know it couldn't have been Sirius Black. This guy was way too big around the waist to be Black" Ron told him.

"Well, it could be anybody. We just need to be more careful, at least until Black gets caught" Ginny said calmly.

"This is going to happen until Voldemort dies" Harry muttered.

"Stop saying that name!" his three friends shouted, causing Harry to roll his eyes at them. Instead of a witty comment, Harry just walked with them to the great hall for breakfast.

* * *

><p>Harry, Ginny, Ron, and Hermione were talking in the Gryffindor Common Room the night before the final Quidditch match with Slytherin. Ginny was on Harry's lap and she, along with Ron and Hermione, were trying to assure Harry that he would be fine in the match.<p>

"Don't worry, Harry, you'll be fine" Hermione told him.

"Yeah mate, you've got a Firebolt!" Ron exclaimed.

"Harry, you're the best seeker this school has ever seen. You're even better than Charlie was! He said so himself!" Ginny told him, her arms wrapped around him. Sadly, the words didn't help him at all. He was holding on to Ginny both for comfort and warmth, both for him and his shivering girlfriend.

"Team, go to bed!" Wood ordered, though Harry didn't listen. Ginny tried to get up but Harry held her on his lap.

"Don't you need to go to bed, Harry?" Ginny asked.

"Yes, but I'd rather have Wood yell at me and stay with you longer" Harry told her. Harry wasn't the only person with that idea. George was sitting on the couch with Katie Bell on his lap, and Fred was mimicking his twin's position. He was sitting next to them with Angelina Johnson on his lap.

"Lighten up, Oliver, give us a few more minutes" Alicia begged him. At her pleading, Wood seemingly had no choice but to give in.

"Hmm, I'm going to have to go with a firm no! Team, go to bed!" Wood yelled. Harry again didn't listen.

"You really should go to sleep" Ginny scolded gently, though Harry could tell she didn't want him to leave.

"Fine" Harry told her, though he didn't let her go. Instead he got his wand out and muttered an incantation under his breath. A few seconds later, a blanket flew toward Harry and Ginny. Harry used his wand to spread the blanket out and put it over him and Ginny before he put his wand away.

"Goodnight, Ginny" Harry said peacefully before wrapping his arms tighter around Ginny and shutting his eyes.

"This is not going to happen! You two are not sleeping together!" Ron shouted after Ginny snuggled closer to Harry.

"Shut up, Ron!" Hermione hissed at him.

"Honestly ickle ronnickens" Fred said.

"If they really wanted to fool around" George said.

"I'm sure Harry has the means" Fred said.

"To find a much better place than the Common Room" George said.

"Don't you, Harry" Fred and George said in unison.

"That explains my late Christmas Present, doesn't it?" Harry asked, gazing at Fred and George.

"You got it Harry" Fred said, winking. Harry smirked and Ron looked at Harry, a horrified look on his face.

"You're right, we won't do anything in here, and I do have the means to find us a better spot, but unless Ginny objects we will be staying here tonight" Harry told everybody.

"As long as you get a good night sleep, I don't really care" Wood said as he came over, pushing Fred and George over to the stairs. Hermione had to do the same to an angry Ron, but eventually the Gryffindor Common Room deserted, leaving Harry and Ginny alone on their chair.

"Harry, why are you doing this?" Ginny asked.

"I just wanted to know how you have been feeling since we went down to the Chamber of Secrets again" Harry told her.

"Are you sure this isn't because you are still nervous about tomorrow?" Ginny asked him.

"Well yes, I'm nervous, but I want to help you as well" Harry told her.

"Harry, that's really sweet, but I don't think we can even sleep together. You need to sleep in a bed, and there is no way we can even get to a bed that isn't surrounded by other people" Ginny told him.

"You're wrong, actually. We could go into my trunk and use that bed" Harry said, winking at her.

"Harry!" Ginny shouted, blushing a red to match her hair.

"I'm just joking with you. Come on, let's go to bed" Harry said, standing up and proceeding to carry Ginny up the stairs, one arm under her knees and one arm supporting her back.

"Harry, put me down!" Ginny exclaimed.

"Not until you tell me" Harry said stubbornly.

"I actually haven't had a nightmare since before you took me into the Chamber" Ginny said honestly.

"I'm glad your nightmares have gone away" Harry said happily.

"Good, now put me down, Harry!" Ginny said playfully.

"You don't like being so close to me?" Harry asked, feigning hurt at her comment.

"I don't need to be carried up the stairs! I am not a baby!" Ginny snapped at him.

"Sorry, Gin; I am going to carry you all the way to the entrance to your dorm room" Harry told her. He laughed when she pouted but he didn't put her down. It didn't take long for them to get to the entrance to the girls' dorm room so Harry had to put Ginny down.

"Goodnight Gin" Harry whispered, kissing her cheek goodnight before going to bed himself.

* * *

><p>Harry was on the field, looking for the snitch, but he also knew that he had to wait until Gryffindor was at least 50 points in the lead. Harry saw Katie Bell score and heard that the score was 80-20 to Gryffindor.<p>

Scanning the field quickly for any sign of the snitch, Harry was getting restless. Suddenly, he saw Charlie Weasley standing next to Ginny. Turning away, he noticed a glint of gold right over Charlie's head. There was a wall directly behind Charlie and Ginny as well, but Harry didn't have time to think about that.

Sending the Firebolt ahead at full speed, toward Charlie and Ginny, he knew what he had to do.

* * *

><p>"Charlie, look at Harry!" Ginny shouted when she saw him heading toward them at top speed.<p>

"I hope he knows that there's a wall behind us" Charlie muttered, pulling his sister into a one armed hug.

* * *

><p>Harry sped toward the snitch that was still right over Charlie's head and Harry pulled up just before he hit Charlie. Harry jumped off the broom and he kicked the wall, forcing himself to do a back flip, and he grabbed the golden snitch in his hand, all before landing gracefully on his broom. Harry pulled up and turned 180 degrees. Harry stopped in mid-air and pumped his fists, holding the snitch in his hand. With the whistle that ended the game, Harry swooped down and swept Ginny off her feet and onto the back of his broom.<p>

"We did it, we finally did it, Gin!" Harry shouted happily, embracing her over the Quidditch field in front of the entire school and right above a smiling Charlie Weasley. In a pure moment of passion, Harry kissed Ginny's lips for the first time. Totally happy, Ginny returned the kiss. Sadly for them, it only lasted for a few seconds before the rest of the Gryffindor Quidditch Team surrounded them.

* * *

><p>That night, in the Common Room, the Gryffindor family was having a party that couldn't be rivaled by anything. Over the commotion, Charlie Weasley stood and tapped his glass. He took a deep breath and turned to Harry once the noise had subsided enough for him to be heard.<p>

"I think I will be the first to give a toast tonight. So Harry; that back flip catch was even better than your diving catch through the goalpost. It was a privilege just to sit beneath you and watch that, although I didn't particularly like you taking my sister away from me after that. Anyways, you are without a doubt the best seeker to ever walk through the Hogwarts gates, and I'm proud to know you, Harry. A toast too many more Gryffindor victories!" Charlie toasted. His toast was met with thunderous applause from the Common Room.

"Now hold on, it wasn't all my doing! It was Oliver Wood who put this team together and without him

"Now hold on, it wasn't all my doing! It was Oliver Wood who put this team together and without him yelling at us all year, I guarantee that we would not have won this cup. Thanks to Oliver Wood for being a great captain!" Harry shouted. His speech was also met with thunderous applause.

The speeches continued for hours, and at 2 A.M. Percy came and tried to usher everybody off to bed, where Charlie promptly proceeded to sort Percy out, which he did very violently, using threats of a Hungarian Horntail, a broom, Fred and George's beaters' bats, and Harry in a boxing ring. Knowing when to pick his own battles, Percy conceded and the party continued.

Not surprisingly, the party lasted all night and nobody went to bed before 6 A.M. It was a very good thing that nobody had classes the next day.

"Harry, Ginny, wait a minute" Charlie called before they went upstairs.

"I just have some things to tell you guys if you'd permit it" Charlie told them. Giving him their approval, Harry and Ginny were patiently waiting for what Charlie had to say.

"Ginny, I just want to tell you not to do anything that I wouldn't do when it comes to your relationship. Harry, I just want to tell you to never judge a book by its cover, you never know what could be right in front of you. Now to the both of you, find better places than just the Common Room to be together. Trust me, it will be refreshing to your relationship" Charlie said, winking at the scarlet couple before wishing them a good night and bidding a hasty retreat.

* * *

><p>Still reeling from the Quidditch final that Gryffindor won, over a week before, Harry was strutting about the castle in a daze before Hermione, Ron, and Ginny all found him.<p>

"Why are you all looking at me like I forgot to wear pants this morning?" Harry asked, before looking both ways and looking down to see that he was indeed wearing pants. His three friends, however, were not at all happy at his ridiculous attempt at humor.

"Today's the date of Buckbeak's execution, Harry!" Hermione exclaimed, shocked that he'd forgotten.

"Oh, man. I totally forgot. We need to go see Hagrid" Harry said, upset with himself for forgetting something so important.

"Yeah, let's go" Ron agreed.

"You coming, Ginny?" Hermione asked, noticing that Ginny had just been standing there, watching them walk to Hagrid's. She nodded and ran to catch up with them. Ignoring Ron's complaints about having to hang around with his little sister, Harry put his arm around Ginny. Hermione led the way for about a minute and then they ran into Malfoy and his cronies.

"Where do you think you're going, Potter?" Malfoy asked before Harry pushed him out of the way. Malfoy got up and stepped in front of Harry, causing a stare-down between them. Ginny tried to pull Harry away, but he didn't move a muscle. Malfoy, however, backed up.

"Personally, we're here to watch the show. That monster is being executed today" Malfoy said, laughing with Crabbe and Goyle. Harry was about to punch Malfoy, but Ginny beat him to the punch, literally.

She punched Malfoy right in the jaw and Malfoy staggered back. Enraged, Malfoy jumped forward, trying to swing back at Ginny. Harry, however, stood in the way. Harry swung his fist right at the mark that Ginny had left on Malfoy's jaw and he hit the mark perfectly.

"Harry, you really need to stop punching him. Eventually you're going to cause some permanent damage" Hermione chided lightly. But as she said that, she kicked Crabbe right below the belt.

"Ouch that hurts just seeing it" Ron muttered before punching Goyle right in the nose. Goyle fell and Ron screamed before cradling his hand. Harry and Ginny laughed at Ron's misfortune.

"Harry, how did you hit Bill like that for 15 rounds?" Ron asked, massaging his hand.

"First off, I had gloves on, but that didn't make it that much better. Second, I had a reason to keep fighting, no matter how much my hand hurt" Harry said, casually putting his arm around Ginny's shoulders. Ron, still holding his hand, mumbled something about Ginny being his younger sister and being too young to be so close to a boy. Then, he followed Hermione down to Hagrid's, followed by the smirking young couple behind him.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: Well that was my longest chapter of this story. I got some people asking for longer chapters and I wanted to know how long longer chapters actually would be, so I would like you to review and tell me! Even if you don't care about how long the chapters are, humor a young writer and review just to tell me what you think about the story. It will really help me! Thank you all!<strong>


	9. The Prisoner of Azkaban

**The Prisoner of Azkaban**

"What are you all doing here?" Hagrid asked when he saw Harry and Ginny leading Ron and Hermione to his cabin. They exchanged hellos and Hagrid handed Ron Scabbers, telling him to take better care of his pets.

"We came to see how you're doing" Harry told him.

"As much as I appreciate that, you guys need to leave. The lot of you will be in a lot of trouble, especially you, Harry" Hagrid told them. Seeing that the execution team was on the way, the 4 young friends retreated out Hagrid's back door. They ran and hid behind a pumpkin and saw the Minister and the Executioner looking right at Buckbeak while Dumbledore looked right at where they were hiding.

Dumbledore, Fudge, and the Executioner went into Hagrid's hut and the four friends were about to run away but Hermione stopped them.

"Fudge has already seen Buckbeak. Let's take him into the forest" Hermione hissed.

"Why should we do that?" Ron asked.

"Because they're going to kill him" Hermione hissed at him.

"Good enough, let's do it" Ron agreed. Ron and Harry went to untie Buckbeak while Hermione and Ginny went to get some food to influence the giant beast. When Hermione and Ginny got back it looked like they were about to fall with the weight of all the dead animals.

When Buckbeak saw them with the food, he followed them right into the Forbidden Forest, away from the Execution sight.

"We're going to be in so much trouble if we get caught" Harry muttered.

"Well as long as we don't get in trouble, we should be fine, Harry" Ron told him.

"I know that but we have a giant winged creature with us" Harry argued.

"Hey guys, I think we have another problem" Ginny said. Harry quickly moved to her side to see what was going on and he saw the grim in front of him.

"Get behind me" he ordered, taking his wand out and pointing it at the dog. Everybody listened but the grim stayed in place, staring at the group. Harry took a step forward and the dog growled. Harry moved back and kept his wand on the dog that had begun inching toward the group. Buckbeak was in the back eating the food that Hermione and Ginny had dropped.

When the dog was in range, it jumped at the group, causing the girls to scream. Harry tried to set a stunning spell but it was to no avail. The dog was too quick. It jumped over the group, Harry tried to guard Ginny, but the dog swiped at Ron's side, tearing his jacket. Scabbers fell out and scampered away from both Buckbeak and the dog, and the dog followed.

The dog leaped and caught Scabbers in his paws and looked down menacingly at the rat. Suddenly the dog changed into a man.

"What happened? You were just a dog and now you're a man!" Harry exclaimed.

"He's an Animagus" Ron hissed at him.

"And he's also Sirius Black" Hermione whispered. Harry moved so Ginny was more behind him. Sirius was holding the rat in his hand, making sure Scabbers couldn't move.

"What's going on here?" Harry demanded.

"I would like to know the same thing! I am going to the Shrieking Shack and I heard screams, so I have to come and investigate. Then I see 4 underage wizards with wands apparently at the mercy of a wandless man who appears to be attempting to strangle that rat" Lupin said from the side of the scene.

"Moony, you know why I want to strangle this rat" Sirius said.

"I know Padfoot, but Harry deserves the truth. Allow me to reveal Peter Pettigrew again" Lupin said. He cast a silent spell at Scabbers and seconds later, a fat bald man was sitting on the ground at Sirius' feet.

"Hold on, I'm confused. You two are friends, Scabbers is a man, Sirius wants to kill that man, and you are going to let it happen once I know the truth? What truth?" Harry shouted.

"Harry, I didn't sell your parents to Voldemort. He did" Sirius said, pointing his finger into Pettigrew's chest.

"Is that true, Wormtail?" Lupin asked.

"I didn't mean to" Wormtail wheezed.

"Now, tell me the story!" Harry shouted.

"You must all know that I am a werewolf. The Whomping Willow was built because I came to Hogwarts and this house was built to keep everybody safe once a month when I transformed. The screams that everybody heard at night were me. They do not know that it was a werewolf so they thought the house was haunted. Trying to protect me, Dumbledore encouraged the rumors. But even through all that, I still had three friends. They were Sirius Black, Peter Pettigrew, and James Potter. Now, my friends noticed that I disappear every month. I made up so many stories like that my mother was ill so I had to go home once a month. I was afraid my only friends would detest me, you see? Well they figured it out, just like Hermione obviously did. They didn't desert me at all when they found out. Instead they all became Animagi to make my transformations easier" Lupin explained.

"My dad too?" Harry asked, astounded.

"Yes, it took them the better part of three years, but in our fifth year they finally figured it out and they could become animals to help me during transformations" Lupin said.

"How did that help you?" Hermione asked.

"A werewolf is only a danger to humans. When I was around them, I was less dangerous. Anyways, soon we were leaving the Shrieking Shack and roaming the school grounds and the village by night. Sirius and James transformed into such large animals, they were able to keep a werewolf in check. No Hogwarts students ever found out more about the school and Hogsmeade than us, so we created the Marauder's Map, and signed it with our nicknames. I am Moony, Sirius is Padfoot, Peter is Wormtail and James was Prongs" Lupin said.

"Don't you know how dangerous that could have been? What if you would have bitten one of them?" Hermione demanded.

"That thought still plagues me. There were many near misses for all of us, but we laughed about them. We were young and all we cared about was having fun. I still feel guilty about betraying Dumbledore's trust. I should have said that Sirius is an Animagus, but to do that I would have had to admit that I betrayed Dumbledore's trust myself. So perhaps Snape has been right about me all along" Lupin mused.

"What does Snape have to do with anything?" Sirius asked; he was still looking at Pettigrew with blood in his eyes.

"He is teaching here as well. You four, Snape went to school with us. He has hated us since day one, but even more so when Sirius played a trick on him that could have killed him. Sirius thought it was highly amusing to tell Snape that he could see me if he got past the Whomping Willow. James heard and he took great risk to himself to save Snape, though Snape caught glimpse of me. He was forbidden by Dumbledore to say anything" Lupin explained.

"So that's why Snape doesn't like you? Because he thought you were in on the joke?" Harry asked.

"That's right" Lupin agreed.

"Isn't tonight a full moon?" Ginny asked.

"Yes, it is, so I will be going to the Shrieking Shack soon, but we do owe you some proof. Here it is" Lupin agreed, pointing his wand at Pettigrew.

"But I thought you killed my parents" Harry said, pointing at Sirius. He was barely staying calm, even with Ginny trying to calm him down.

"I as good as killed them. I persuaded Lily and James to change the secret keeper to Peter at the last minute. The night your parents died, I went to check on Peter but he was nowhere to be found but there was no sign of a struggle. I rushed to your parents' house right away but I saw their house destroyed and I saw their bodies I knew what Peter had done, what I'd done" Sirius whispered. His voice was seemingly gone.

"He's going to try and kill me again" Pettigrew squeaked.

"Nobody is going to try and kill you until we know the truth, Peter" Lupin said.

"Lily and James only made you the secret keeper because I suggested it!" Sirius hissed, so venomously Peter backed up. Harry, watching Sirius closely, didn't notice that Peter's eyes were darting toward the outskirts of the clearing every second until Ginny whispered it into his ear.

"Wait, if he has been working for you-know-who how come he hasn't killed Harry in the last 3 years?" Hermione asked.

"There, you see, Remus? I never hurt a hair on Harry's head! Why should I?" Pettigrew said shrilly.

"I will tell you why. Because you never did anything for anyone unless you could see what was in it for you. Voldemort's been hiding for fifteen years; they say he's half dead. You weren't about to commit murder right under Albus Dumbledore's nose for a wreck of a wizard who'd lost all his power, would you? Yeah you'd make sure he would be the biggest bully on the playground first" Black spat.

"Excuse me, Mr. Black, how did you get out of Azkaban if you didn't use dark magic?" Hermione asked.

"I don't really know how I did it. The only reason I didn't lose my mind was that I knew that I was innocent. That wasn't a happy thought so the Dementors couldn't suck it out of me, but it kept me sane and knowing who I am helped me to keep my powers so when it all became too much I couldn't transform in my cell and become a dog. Dementors can't see; they just feel their way toward people by their emotions. My emotions as a dog were far less complex but they just thought I was losing my mind so it didn't trouble them. But when I saw Peter in the picture, I realized he was at Hogwarts with Harry and I had to do something. I was the only person who knew that Peter was alive. He was ready to deliver Harry to them the moment he could be sure of allies. It was as if someone had lit a fire in my head, and the Dementors couldn't destroy it. It wasn't a happy feeling, it was an obsession but it gave me strength because it cleared my mind. So one night when they opened my door to bring me food, I slipped past them as a dog. I was thin, very thin, thin enough to slip through the bars so I swam back to the mainland. I came to live in the forest except when I came to watch Quidditch. Harry, you fly even better than your father" Sirius said, he looked at Harry who did not look away.

"Believe me, Harry; I never betrayed James and Lily. I would have died before I betrayed them" Sirius said, the emotion coming over in his voice. Harry looked from Sirius to Lupin to Sirius to Pettigrew and back to Sirius. At long last Harry believed Sirius, and he nodded.

"No! I'm your friend Sirius!" Pettigrew shouted, grabbing the front of Sirius's robes, though Sirius kicked him off.

"There is enough filth on my robes without you touching them" said Black.

"Remus, you don't believe this, wouldn't Sirius have told you if they'd changed the plan?" Pettigrew squeaked, turning toward Lupin.

"Not if he thought I was the spy. I assume that's why you didn't tell me, Sirius?" Lupin said casually over Pettigrew's head.

"Forgive me, Remus, but can we please get on with this" Black said.

"Sweet girl, you wont let them kill me, will you?" Pettigrew asked, walking toward Ginny. Harry stepped between them and got a whisper in his ear from Ginny which he smiled at.

"Sirius, this is for you" he said, before punching Pettigrew in his jaw. Pettigrew fell on the ground at Sirius's feet and Sirius smiled at Harry.

"Let's kill him together, Remus" Sirius said, as Lupin tossed him a spare wand.

"You should have realized, Peter, that if Voldemort didn't kill you, we would. Good-bye, Peter" Lupin said quietly.

"Wait, just wait a second. You can't kill him" Harry shouted.

"Harry, this piece of filth is the reason you don't have parents" Black snarled.

"I know! But dead he's no help, alive you're free" Harry said, smiling slightly.

"We'll take him to the castle, but if he transforms we will kill him. Do you agree, Harry?" Lupin asked. Harry nodded and Lupin tied Pettigrew up and prepared to drag him to the castle.

"Wait, Professor, it's the full moon tonight" Ginny called out, her first non-whispered words since Hagrid's hut.

"You're right; I need to go to the Shrieking Shack and fast. Thank you Ms. Weasley. I will see all of you soon, I hope" Lupin said, before running off toward the Shrieking Shack.

Everybody else then started going up to the castle. They got out of the forest without a problem, but then the Dementors came. They were all coming in one direction, there looked to be over a hundred, and Harry looked at everybody around him. He broke his grip free of Ginny and ran in front of the group.

"Expecto Patronum!" Harry shouted, pointing his wand up at the giant group of Dementors. A silver stag came out of his wand and worked to push the Dementors back. Meanwhile, Sirius and Ron were wrestling with Pettigrew, who had tried to escape. They had caught him, and they put him, in rat form, in a conjured jar.

"Make sure you put an unbreakable charm on it so he cant break out" Ginny shouted. Hermione nodded and cast the spell. Meanwhile they noticed that Harry was still holding his spell and he was making the Dementors go away. That one spell was making all the Dementors retreat.

It seemed to take forever, but when the Dementors were all gone, Harry turned to look at the group. They were all looking at him with wide eyes.

"Are you all coming?" Harry asked, gesturing toward the castle. Soon they were back on the road to the castle, Harry not even asking why Pettigrew was in a jar. Sirius changed back into the dog form and they went into the castle. On their way to Dumbledore's office, they heard Snape shouting.

"Sir, somebody just conjured a Patronus that made all the Dementors retreat from the forest!" Snape shouted.

"Severus, please, not now" Dumbledore begged. When Harry walked around the corner he could see how tired Dumbledore looked.

"Potter, what are you doing out here with your three friends, a dog, and a rat in a jar?" Snape snapped.

"Professor Dumbledore, we have something we need to show you, in private" Harry said, subtlety gesturing toward Snape.

"Very well, come to my office" Dumbledore conceded. The four students followed Dumbledore up the gargoyle and they sat down on the other side of his desk, with Padfoot next to Harry and Wormtail on the desk.

"So might I ask why a dog is in my office and a rat is on my desk?" Dumbledore asked.

"The rat is Peter Pettigrew and the dog is Sirius Black, but Professor, Sirius is innocent" Hermione said.

"But once you hear the story you have to agree" Ginny told him.

"Students" Dumbledore said quietly.

"We can't forget Buckbeak either" Ron said.

"Yeah, we'll need to go get him later" Harry agreed.

"Students" Dumbledore said, just loud enough to get their attention.

"Correct me if I am wrong, but you seem to be attempting to tell me that Sirius Black is innocent, Peter Pettigrew is guilty, and they are both in this room?" Dumbledore asked.

"Yes, sir" Hermione agreed.

"I know Sirius is innocent. I know Pettigrew is guilty, for I was there the night we chose the Secret Keeper for the Potter safehouse" Dumbledore told them, motioning for Sirius to change back into his human form, which Black did gratefully.

"Well then we have to take this to trial!" Hermione shouted.

"We can't send an innocent man back to Azkaban!" Ginny agreed.

"It was Scabbers who did it!" Ron shouted. Meanwhile, Harry had remained silent the entire time.

"This needs to go to trial, this summer. Professor, you need to call Fudge up here now" Harry said.

"If I call the Minister up here then he will bring the Dementors and they will give Sirius a kiss that even he doesn't want" Dumbledore told them.

"Then how do we set up a trial?" Harry demanded.

"I will talk to Fudge and hopefully we will get a trial date set for early this summer" Dumbledore promised.

"What about Sirius?" Harry asked.

"I don't know what Fudge will do to Sirius" Dumbledore admitted.

"We have to free him somehow!" Harry shouted, ignoring Sirius pacing behind him, trying to get his attention.

"If a trial can be set up, Sirius will be freed" Hermione told him.

"So does Sirius need to go into hiding until the trial?" Ginny asked.

"Yes, but we will hide him in the one place the Minister would never look" Dumbledore said.

"Where exactly is that?" Ron asked.

"The Noble and Most Ancient House of Black" Dumbledore told them. Sirius let out a dog-like whimper at that.

"So the Minister wouldn't look for Sirius in his own house?" Harry asked.

"Correct" Dumbledore said; the twinkle in his eye returning.

"What about this?" Ron asked, gesturing toward Scabbers.

"And this is?" Dumbledore inquired.

"Peter Pettigrew" Hermione told him.

"Well, he will need to be kept away from both Sirius and the Minister, for his own safety and the trial's safety" Dumbledore said.

"You will tell us the date of the trial, right?" Ginny asked.

"Yes, you four will probably have to testify. But that is enough for now, go and be students for the last few days; enjoy your last few days here before summer" Dumbledore told them, smiling slightly under his half-moon spectacles. The four friends and Sirius left, but when they got out Sirius pulled Harry aside, into an abandoned classroom.

"This is almost too good to be true, you could be free!" Harry exclaimed once the door closed.

"Yes, and I don't know if anybody told you this, but I'm your godfather. So if you ever wanted to move away from your aunt and uncle's house, maybe you could live with me" Sirius told him, looking anywhere but at Harry, seemingly afraid of the impending answer.

"Seriously?" Harry asked.

"No, it's just Sirius" Sirius joked.

"No, you really want me to move in with you?" Harry asked, his excitement nearly poring over.

"I would understand if you want to stay with your aunt and uncle though" Sirius hastily said, not catching Harry's excitement.

"When can I move in?" Harry asked. Sirius looked down and gave Harry the first true smile that Harry ever saw on his face.

"After the trial, you can move in. I need to go back to Dumbledore right now, so enjoy yourself until the trial, and enjoy that girlfriend of yours. Potters and redheads, I swear" Sirius teased. Harry rolled his eyes and smiled at his godfather before Sirius turned back into a dog and left the abandoned classroom, on the way back to Dumbledore's office.

When Harry walked back to his three friends he had an ear to ear grin on his face. He went up to Ginny and slid his arm around her shoulders.

* * *

><p>The morning of the feast, Dumbledore was seen walking up to the Gryffindor Common Room. He went into the 3rd Year Boy's Dormitory and scanned the room quickly. When he saw Harry's trunk, he entered into the training chambers, seeing Harry's silver trainer sitting on a chair in the middle of the room.<p>

"I was wondering when you would come back, Albus" Harry's trainer said.

"Yes, well Harry is going to be outside until dinner, so there is no need for your disguise for now" Dumbledore said. Harry's trainer took out his wand and he waved it over himself. His silver color turned more human and his features changed considerably; changing to show that Harry's trainer was really Gellart Grindlewald, himself.

"I trust you have come to check up on Harry's progress" Grindlewald said, gesturing for Dumbledore to sit down. His voice was still the same as when he was disguised.

"Actually, I wanted to know specifically about his Occlumency shields. When I tried to enter his mind, I saw my sister dead at your feet. Did you tell Harry about my sister?" Dumbledore asked.

"No, but when I entered his mind, I saw my only love being tortured for the wrongs I did in my past" Grindlewald mentioned.

"I wonder how he found out about our worst fears, especially since he still doesn't even know who you are" Dumbledore muttered.

"Forgive me, Albus, but I think it may be time for Mr. Potter to become aware that it is indeed me who is teaching him and that you are the mastermind behind this" Grindlewald told him. Dumbledore sighed.

"Although I wish for Harry to have no knowledge of this, I think you are right, Gellart. Harry deserves to know" Dumbledore said, though it was evident by the look in his eyes that he was reluctant.

"We should speak with Harry soon, say before dinner tonight" Grindlewald suggested.

"You're right, we'll meet in my office right before dinner" Dumbledore agreed.

"See you this evening, Albus" Grindlewald said. Dumbledore bowed and exited Harry's trunk, leaving Grindlewald to resume his silver disguise.

* * *

><p>Outside the castle, about two hours before the feast, Harry and Ginny were walking with Ron and Hermione. Everything was seemingly normal until Ginny spotted Fawkes flying toward them, carrying a note from Dumbledore. Hermione took the note and she read it out loud.<p>

"Harry, I need to see you in my office as soon as possible to discuss some important things with you. After dinner, I need to see you with your three friends, Ms. Weasley, Mr. Weasley, and Ms. Granger, so we can all discuss what will happen in the coming year. Dumbledore" Hermione read.

"What do you think this is about?" Ron asked.

"I don't know, but I probably shouldn't keep Dumbledore waiting. I will see all of you at dinner. Save me a seat" Harry said, turning back toward the castle, leaving his confused friends behind.

"I hate it when Dumbledore does this" Ginny muttered, not expecting anybody to hear her.

"What do you mean?" Ron asked loudly.

"Well, Dumbledore is always calling for Harry, and we all know that Harry can't say no to anybody asking for his help, so it seems like everybody is always taking Harry away from us. It would be nice to have some time for ourselves with him without being interrupted" Ginny told them.

"Yeah, I can understand that" Hermione agreed, causing Ginny to let out an exasperated sigh.

"But that's what makes Harry great. He will always be willing to risk his life to save those he cares about. You know that Ginny" Ron told her.

"That's just what makes Harry be Harry, you know?" Hermione told her.

"Yeah, thanks guys, let's finish this walk and meet Harry back for the feast before somebody else needs him" Ginny said, smiling at her best friend and her brother.

* * *

><p>"You wanted to see me, professor?" Harry asked when he got into Dumbledore's office.<p>

"Yes, there is somebody I would like you to meet" Dumbledore said, gesturing as Grindlewald, in his silver disguise, came into view.

"We've met. This is my trainer" Harry said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"But you don't know who he really is" Dumbledore said. Harry looked back at Grindlewald as he changed from his disguise into his human form.

"Good evening, Potter" Grindlewald said.

"Harry, this is my best friend Gellart Grindlewald" Dumbledore said.

"Your best friend? Wait, I thought you two tried to kill each other 50 years ago" Harry said, his gaze switching from one old man to the other, seemingly faster than a head should be able to move.

"That was when I was young, and stupid. Albus defeated me on that day, and after that, I realized what I was doing was wrong. I have been working undercover with Albus since then" Grindlewald told him.

"So you two had this idea that I would be trained as a fighter, so why you?" Harry asked.

"Somebody has to watch over you. I am one of the few people that Albus has trusted to look after you" Grindlewald answered.

"So how do you know about my relationship with Ginny?" Harry demanded, sensing deception from the two men.

"When I was teaching you Occlumency, I was able to glimpse at some of your thoughts" Grindlewald told him.

"Gellart informed me of the possibility of a soul bond between you and Ms. Weasley. I just want you to know, Harry, that this soul bond will not become active for a few years, so you and Miss Weasley can go about your relationship as normal students would" Dumbledore said.

"Alright, so what was the point of the disguise?" Harry asked.

"Well, if you knew who your instructor is, then you would tell people, and we needed to keep this quiet" Grindlewald said.

"Gellart and I are already aware that you have told your three best friends. That is your choice, but we can't stress the need to keep this quiet enough. If Voldemort were to find out about this he would double his efforts to kill you" Dumbledore continued.

"Why would he care who my trainer is?" Harry asked.

"Oh my, he doesn't know? Honestly, boy what do they teach you in school?" Grindlewald asked. He seemed appalled at Harry not knowing why Voldemort wouldn't want Grindlewald to teach Harry.

"Gellart Grindlewald is considered to be the worst dark lord in history after Voldemort himself of course. The thing is, I think Gellart could defeat Tom if they were both in their primes" Dumbledore said.

"Albus, that is false and you know it. You defeated me during our duel" Grindlewald argued.

"Just defeating somebody does not mean you are more powerful than them. You have always had more strength than me, Gellart. You defeated me in our friendly duels for the last 25 or 30 times before that duel. I just got the better of you when it counted" Dumbledore argued.

"So what does this mean for me?" Harry asked, interrupting Grindlewald's attempt to retort.

"Gellart is right, you do need time to perfect your skills after school, but if we wait until your 7 years are complete, I fear it will be too late and Voldemort would have won" Dumbledore said.

"So what does this mean for you?" Harry asked, gesturing to Grindlewald.

"I can't tell you that, Harry. You will learn everything once you finish your training" Grindlewald promised.

"Harry, I can see you are itching to leave. Go ahead. You can leave" Dumbledore said.

"Only speak to your three closest friends about this, Harry! If this gets out we will have problems!" Grindlewald warned as Harry left the office.

"He is not ready for what lays ahead of him, Gellart. He's just a kid" Dumbledore said sadly.

"Albus, just because he's a kid doesn't mean he can't make his own choices. He can't be kept under our control for very much longer. He's Animagus form is a phoenix. You know just as well as I that a phoenix can't be called to somebody unless they are truly light" Grindlewald argued.

"What do you propose I do?" Dumbledore asked.

"Albus, you know what we need to do" Grindlewald said sadly. Dumbledore hung his head and he prepared to make his speech for the end of the year.

* * *

><p>Harry ran from Dumbledore's office right to the great hall, and saw his three friends already at the Gryffindor table, waiting for him. He waved at them and ran up to his girlfriend, taking his normal seat next to her.<p>

"Sorry that took so long. Dumbledore can sometimes ramble" Harry told his three friends.

"That's okay, we all have to sit through it tonight" Ginny reminded him. Nearly twenty-five minutes passed before Dumbledore was done talking and the food finally appeared on the tables.

The Fab Four ate to their heart's content, before they all went back to the Gryffindor Common Room to pack their things before the train ride the next day, the last chance to see each other until the school year.

* * *

><p>The next morning, Harry went to talk to Lupin, and after unsuccessfully attempting to convince Moony to teach again next year, Harry got the Marauder's Map back from Moony and left to get his trunk before going to the train to leave Hogwarts for the next three months.<p>

When the Fab Four got on the train, they sat in a compartment together, just like the year before. Harry had his arm around Ginny, while Ron and Hermione were spread apart.

"I really wish you two wouldn't sit like that" Ron muttered.

"Can it, Ron" Ginny snapped, glaring at her brother, while Hermione just rolled her eyes. Harry, meanwhile, was just watching the castle out the window as the castle disappeared from view.

"Don't worry, Harry. We'll be back in a few months" Hermione told him.

"A few months for you feels like a few years for me" Harry reminded them, his facial expression grim.

"We will write, all summer" Ginny promised.

"Yeah, mate, don't forget about the Quidditch Cup too. Maybe we can all go to that" Ron suggested.

"Well, that's something to look forward to" Harry admitted.

"See, Harry? You will have a lot to keep you busy this summer. You'll be fine" Hermione said, hoping her friend would see reason.

"You're right. Thanks guys" Harry said, giving Ginny a little squeeze.

"Don't do anything horrible to the Dursleys, Harry" Hermione told him.

"All I'm going to do is mention how my former convict godfather has escaped from wizard prison and how he will be checking up on me from time to time" Harry said with a smile.

"But Harry, Sirius won't be checking on you. He's in hiding" Ron told him.

"I know that, but the Dursleys don't" Harry said. His friends smiled at him, knowing that Harry would be safe during the summer.

When the train stopped at the station, the Fab Four said their goodbyes to each other, knowing that they would meet again soon. Completely ignoring his uncle, who was hurrying Harry, the young wizard took his girlfriend into his arms.

"I'm going to miss you, Harry" Ginny whispered.

"I'm going to miss you too. Don't worry, I will write as often as I can" Harry promised.

"Be careful, don't do anything stupid" Ginny told him.

"When have I ever done anything stupid?" Harry asked indignantly. When his girlfriend gave him a disbelieving look he just smiled at her.

"I'll be careful" Harry promised.

"I need to go" Ginny told him, looking over to see a mob of red hair looking at them.

"See you in a few months" Harry said, releasing his girlfriend. When he turned toward his uncle, Ginny surprised him by pulling him closer to her and giving him one last kiss before the summer. When Ginny let Harry go, he felt like he was sitting on a cloud.

He mouthed a quick thank you to Ginny before he went to his uncle, trunk already in his pocket as he noticed the look of disgust on Vernon Dursley's face.

"Let's get going, boy. You have work to do when you get home" Vernon said. Harry didn't reply when he got into the car.

When Vernon began to speed away, Harry gave one last look back at his girlfriend as his three months of hell began.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: Wow it has been way too long! I'm really sorry that this took me so long but school sucks and when you combine school with writers block, I'm actually surprised I have such a long chapter for everybody. Well I am happy with how I did this chapter, but tell me what you think. Thanks to everybody who stuck with me throughout this story so far. It means a lot. Tell me in a review what you thought, good or bad, and anything, ANYTHING, that you want to see in future chapters. Thanks everybody!<strong>


	10. Summer and a Trial

**Summer and a Trial**

Harry woke up early one morning when he heard Dumbledore talking in his room. Harry put his glasses on and realized that Dumbledore was standing in front of him.

"Professor, what are you doing here?" Harry asked.

"Today is the date of Sirius's trial, Harry. My apologies, I forgot to mention it to you before school ended, but the trial starts in an hour" Dumbledore said.

"Oh, am I testifying or am I just going to be there as a spectator?" Harry asked.

"You might have to answer a few questions, but it is doubtful. Just to be on the safe side, you and your three friends have to be there just in case" Dumbledore said.

"Yeah, let's go free Sirius" Harry said.

"I will meet you outside once you are ready, Harry. Don't take too long" Dumbledore said as he walked out of Harry's room.

Harry got out of his bed and put a pair of jeans and a red t-shirt on before rushing downstairs to put his shoes on to meet Dumbledore outside the house.

"Where are you going, boy?" Vernon shouted.

"I'm going to go to see my godfather. You wouldn't want to make me late, would you?" Harry taunted. When he saw Vernon pale noticeably, Harry walked out the front door to see Dumbledore waiting in the driveway.

"Well, Harry, are you ready to go?" Dumbledore asked. Harry nodded and looked around for a portkey.

"Take my arm, Harry, and do hold on tight" Dumbledore told him. Harry looked up at Dumbledore like he's crazy but did so and before he knew it, he felt his insides being squeezed all around and he was outside the Ministry of Magic.

"What was that?" Harry asked, on his knees, trying not to vomit.

"That was apparition, Harry. It is as common for wizards to Apparate as it is for Muggles to drive" Dumbledore told him.

"People actually do that every day?" Harry asked, looking up at Dumbledore in disbelief. Dumbledore laughed and beckoned for Harry to follow him into the lower levels of the ministry.

Harry followed Dumbledore into the main courtroom to see Sirius sitting, chained in the middle of the room with fifty or so wizards looking down on him.

Harry looked into the crowd of people watching to see his three friends and he went over to them without another thought.

"Harry, how are you doing?" Hermione asked.

"Pretty good, what did I miss?" Harry asked.

"Nothing yet, Fudge was waiting for Dumbledore" Ginny told him, taking his hand onto her lap.

"It took you long enough, mate. We've been here for over an hour" Ron complained.

"Good to see you too, Ron" Harry said sarcastically.

The four friends were broken out of their conversation when they heard Fudge calling for the start.

"This trial of Sirius Black vs. Peter Pettigrew is commencing. This trial will use Veritaserum because of how different the stories of what happened in the past" Fudge called out.

"The court first calls Sirius Black" one of the women called.

Sirius looked up and opened his mouth obediently, as if welcoming the potion. Sirius swallowed the potion quickly and looked up to see his questioner who was none other than Kingsley Shacklebolt. Kinglsey had a list in his hand that was presumably a list of questions.

"What transpired the last night you saw James and Lily?" Kinglsey asked.

"James, Lily, Albus, and I were at their safe-house in Godric's Hallow. We were attempting to figure out who would be the secret keeper for the Potter's because Albus thought that the Dark Lord would come for Harry" Sirius said.

"Who was chosen as the secret keeper?" Kingsley asked.

"Peter Pettigrew" Sirius spat, much to the surprise of everybody in attendance.

"But you and James were closer than most brothers. Why would Peter be chosen and not you, Sirius?" Kinglsey asked.

"You just said why, Kinglsey. Everybody would expect me to be chosen, so I persuaded James and Lily to choose Peter instead of me. Nobody would have expected Peter to be chosen, so it was the best option" Sirius answered.

"Why did nobody know about the change?" Kinglsey asked.

"We chose to make it seem like I was still the secret keeper for more security. It was the least I could do for all that James and Lily had done for me" Sirius told him.

"Did you kill Peter Pettigrew and the twelve Muggles after that?" Kinglsey asked.

"No, when I saw what happened to my friends' house, I knew that it was peter's doing. I left Harry with Rubeus Hagrid. I gave Hagrid my motorbike to take Harry to a safe-house before I went after Peter. When I found him, he told me that it was all my fault that James and Lily were dead. Then he shot off some curses at the Muggles before cutting off his finger and turning himself into a rat. He ran away, escaping in the chaos before I could react" Sirius said.

"Peter Pettigrew is an Animagus?" Kinglsey asked.

"Yes" Sirius confirmed.

"Why did you escape from Azkaban?" the Auror asked.

"I saw Peter in the newspaper and I knew that I had to escape so I could capture him and hopefully prove my innocence" Sirius answered.

"Thank you, Sirius. That concludes our questions. Next, we would like to call Peter Pettigrew" Fudge requested.

Dumbledore walked forward and put the jar with Peter in it on the ground. Dumbledore opened the jar and turned Pettigrew back into a human before he was put into restraints by the Aurors.

Peter tried to resist the Veritaserum but eventually the potion was forced into his mouth. This time, a different questioner came forward with another piece of paper with questions, Amelia Bones.

"What is your name?" Amelia asked.

"Peter Pettigrew" Peter said.

"Who was the secret keeper for the Potters?" Bones asked.

"I was" Peter said reluctantly.

"Did you betray James and Lily to you-know-who?" Amelia asked.

"Yes" Peter whispered.

"Did you kill the twelve Muggles and attempt to blame it on Sirius?" Amelia asked.

"Yes" Peter told her.

"Why?" Amelia asked.

"The dark lord somehow knew it was me" Peter said.

"Did he torture you or did you give up he information willingly?" Amelia asked.

"He didn't torture me" Pettigrew hissed.

"That is all the questions I have for Pettigrew" Amelia said.

"The Wizengamot will discuss the verdict and we will see if we need to know anything more from anybody. Please clear the courtroom" Fudge called.

As Harry followed Ginny out of the courtroom, he felt optimistic about Sirius's chances at being freed. Dumbledore left during the break, seemingly so sure about the verdict that he didn't feel a need to stay.

Not surprisingly, Remus Lupin was also feeling optimistic about Sirius. But despite that, neither Harry nor Remus spoke to anybody during the time outside the courtroom.

Harry just spent his time holding his girlfriend, listening to Ron and Hermione argue.

When they were finally called back into the courtroom, everybody filed into the room in record speed.

"Ladies and gentlemen, the Wizengamot has reached a verdict. It has been decreed that Sirius Black has been cleared of all charges and Peter Pettigrew is to be sentenced to a lifetime in Azkaban Prison" Fudge called out.

Harry pulled Ginny into a huge hug when he realized that his godfather was free and he kissed her, causing sparks of electricity to fly through their bodies.

"Is there anything else that needs to be discussed today?" Fudge asked as Peter got taken away by Kinglsey and Sirius got let out of his shackles.

"Actually, there is one more thing, Minister" Sirius called out.

"Yes, what is it?" Fudge asked.

"What is to happen about Harry's guardianship? He lived with his aunt and uncle simply because I was in prison, but now that I am out of prison, I have the legal rights to be Harry's guardian" Sirius said.

"Technically, while you are right, Vernon and Petunia Dursleys are technically Harry's legal guardians. I have a contract here that will make you Harry's rightful guardian so long as you, Harry, and both of the adult Dursleys sign it" Amelia Bones said.

"I will go get them to sign it" Harry shouted out.

"Sirius, if you can get this contract signed by the Dursleys then you and Harry can come to my office and we will finalize it. Until then, this courtroom is dismissed" Bones said, shooing everybody out.

Harry put his arm around Ginny as they walked out to meet with Sirius. Sirius was already talking to Remus when Harry and Ginny walked up.

"Well look, Moony, its James and Lily" Sirius joked when Harry and Ginny walked up.

"They do look the part" Remus admitted.

"Congratulations are in order, Mr. Black" Ginny said.

"Now, now, none of this Mr. Black rubbish. You need to call me Sirius or Padfoot, especially if you are going to be the future Mrs. Potter" Sirius teased.

"Sirius, don't you think that is thinking a little too far ahead?" Harry demanded, trying to keep the blush from crawling onto his face. Sirius just smiled and Remus shook his head while Ginny looked down at her feet, trying to hide the blush that had appeared on her own face.

"But in all seriousness, you and Harry have some things you need to do today" Ginny said.

"Yeah, we need to free him from his aunt and uncle" Sirius agreed.

"And we need to do that today" Harry said.

"In that case, we'd better get going. So Harry, kiss your girlfriend goodbye and let's get a move-on" Sirius said. Harry smiled and began to kiss Ginny. After a few minutes, Sirius rolled his eyes and drug Harry away from Ginny, making the young man just wave goodbye, leaving Ginny and Remus together.

"He's the one who encouraged it. I don't see why he pulled us apart so fast" Ginny complained to the werewolf.

"Ginny, you and Harry were together for over two minutes" Remus told her.

"What? That's impossible, it felt like two seconds at the most" Ginny argued. Remus looked at her with concern.

"Are you alright, Ginny? Maybe you should go home and get some sleep" Remus suggested.

"Yeah, maybe you're right" Ginny agreed, walking over to Ron and her dad who were waiting. She was still wondering how a two minute kiss felt like just two seconds. Little did she know that Harry was wondering the same thing.

* * *

><p>Harry and Sirius were walking out of the Ministry of Magic when Harry couldn't hold his curiosity inside him any longer.<p>

"Sirius, why did you pull me away from Ginny so fast? You were the one who was encouraging me to do that" Harry told him.

"You're joking, right?" Sirius asked.

"No, I'm not joking" Harry said.

"Harry, you were kissing her for two minutes. Normally I would encourage that length, but I would like to get home before sundown and we still have to stop by Privet Drive" Sirius told him.

"Two minutes? You can't be serious" Harry said in disbelief.

"Actually I am serious, in more ways than one" Sirius joked. Harry shook his head and shielded his eyes as he and Sirius exited into the sun.

Harry took Sirius's arm and Sirius apparated them back to the Dursleys, the document carefully in a briefcase that Sirius was holding tight.

Harry walked up and knocked on the door. When Vernon Dursley answered, the large man paled at the sight of Sirius.

"What do you want?" Vernon hissed.

"We have a document that you and your wife need to sign" Sirius told him.

"Why would we sign any document that you give us?" Vernon demanded.

"Because this document will make Sirius my legal guardian and you will never have to deal with me again" Harry told him. Harry had to resist rolling his eyes at the ear to ear grin that appeared on his uncle's face before going into the house, Sirius right behind him. Sirius was muttering something about ungrateful Muggles, though Harry wasn't paying much attention.

"I've never seen Uncle Vernon move that fast" Harry muttered, only loud enough for him and Sirius to hear. The Animagus walked

"Come in, come in" Vernon said, rushing over to the table and calling Petunia before the door was even shut.

"What is it, Vernon, and who is that?" Petunia asked, looking at the scruffy looking man that was standing around the table.

"This is Harry's godfather. We need to sign a document that they have so that guy will be Harry's guardian permanently" Vernon said. Petunia grabbed a pen and Sirius put the document on the table.

"Petunia, you need to sign here" Sirius said, pointing at a line on the bottom.

"Vernon, you need to sign here" Sirius told him, pointing to the ling right below Petunia's. Harry signed his name right below Vernon's and Sirius signed his name at the bottom.

"Well, did it work?" Vernon demanded.

When the document glowed for a few seconds, Harry and Sirius knew that the change had come.

"Yeah, it definitely worked" Harry said happily.

"Now, get out of my house" Vernon hissed.

"Go get your trunk, Harry. Time for us to go home" Sirius said, putting the contract back in the briefcase and glaring at Vernon.

Harry grabbed all of his belongings from his room and put everything in his trunk before taking his trunk and Hedwig down the stairs for the final time.

Harry drug his trunk outside before giving one last look at the house he had lived in for his whole life. Harry put his head down and prepared for Sirius to Apparate them to the house.

"Good riddance!" Harry heard Vernon shout before his insides were squeezed once again.

Before they got to the house, Sirius took them back to the ministry, where he turned the contract into Amelia Bones.

"Congratulations, you two. Now I hope you know that if Sirius dies, Harry will be on his own. You have no more legal guardians" Amelia told him.

"I know that. Unlike my godfather here, I read the contract" Harry said, gesturing toward his wide-mouthed godfather. Amelia laughed at Sirius before returning to business once again.

"Sirius, you take care of him, you hear me?" Amelia demanded.

"You got it" Sirius said, smiling as he and Harry walked out of the ministry for the 2nd time that day. Harry saw the bright sun and then he felt the familiar feeling of apparition.

Next thing Harry knew, he was in the living room of the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black.

"Well Harry, welcome home. I know it isn't much, but it's the best I can do for now. Just ignore the picture of my mother. She's batty to everybody, trust me on that. I tried everything to remove it, but she had to have put a permanent sticking charm on it" Sirius told him.

"Don't worry Sirius, this is way better than living at the Dursley's ever would be" Harry assured him.

"You room is upstairs, just choose one with a bed" Sirius told him. Harry thanked him and took his trunk and Hedwig upstairs with him.

Harry chose one of the rooms on the 2nd floor and deposited everything in the room.

"So this is what family feels like" Harry said as he lay down on his new bed, looking up at the ceiling with a smile on his face. He sat up to hear a knock on his door. He called for Sirius to come in.

"Hey, Harry, I'm going to get some sleep. It has been a difficult twelve years for me" Sirius told him, a small smile on his face. Harry saw that it was only 4:30, so he was confused.

"So Padfoot, what are the ground rules?" Harry asked.

"Hmm, I don't know. I haven't really thought about anything" Sirius admitted. He pondered for a minute before looking up at Harry.

"Do you have any ideas?" Sirius asked.

"You're the adult. You're supposed to come up with the rules" Harry teased.

"Okay, well, let's see. Food is downstairs. If I am asleep, I don't want to be woken up. If you want to go somewhere, tell me first, and your curfew is at midnight. Other than that, have fun, kid" Sirius said.

"What if I want to go for a run or something while you're asleep?" Harry asked.

"Just leave a note on the kitchen table, but that is only if I am asleep. For anything else, you tell me" Sirius told him.

"What if you are out of the house?" Harry asked.

"Man, kid, you are just full of questions" Sirius teased. He thought for a minute before rushing out of the room. Harry looked at the space that his godfather was standing a few seconds prior with confusion before Sirius walked back in.

"This is a two-way mirror. Call my name into it and I will respond even if I am out of the house. If I don't respond, then just leave a note on the table" Sirius told him, handing him one of the mirrors.

"Okay, sounds like a plan. So Padfoot, can I go to Ginny's house?" Harry asked.

"Yeah sure, you can use the floo down stairs. Just remember to take your mirror, be home by midnight, and do use protection, Harry" Sirius teased before going to bed. Harry went downstairs to the fireplace and grabbed a pinch of floo powder before stepping into the fire.

"The burrow" Harry called out, throwing the powder into the fire and disappearing to the burrow.

* * *

><p>Sirius went right to his room, and when he got there, he had the pleasure of seeing a young woman waiting for him. The woman looked to be a few years younger than Sirius, pale skin with brown hair down to her lower back. She was lying in Sirius's bed, the covers pulled up to her neck.<p>

"What took you so long, Siri?" the young woman asked.

"My godson just moved in today, Lauren. I had to lay down a few rules" Sirius said, sitting down on the bed casually.

"You were laying down rules? In school you didn't follow any rules" Lauren teased.

"That is an exaggeration, Lauren Singleton and you know it" Sirius told her.

"I never said it was a bad thing, Siri" Lauren teased, reaching over to put her arms around Sirius's shoulders.

"The kid's going to be at his girlfriend's house for a while" Sirius growled.

"Well, then let's have some fun" Lauren said, jumping at Sirius, tackling him onto the bed.

* * *

><p>When Harry got out of the fireplace at the burrow, he lost his balance and fell right on his back. Fortunately, only two people saw the fall. Unfortunately, those two people were the twins.<p>

"Well look who it is, Fred" George said.

"Harry Potter himself" Fred replied.

"I wonder why he's here" George said.

"Maybe he's here to see" Fred said.

"Little Gin Gin" the twins said in unison. Harry got up off the ground and smirked at the twins.

"Where is Ginny?" Harry asked.

"She's on her way home right now, actually. If I were you, I would go and wait for her in her room. I think she deserves a little surprise. Hermione is already in Ron's room. It seems like everybody except for Ron and Hermione can see that they want to be together. So if Ron gets to see his favorite non-family member in the world, we can't have Ginny be left out" a voice from behind him said. Harry looked back to see Bill Weasley sitting at the table.

"Go quickly Harry, because she is not traveling anymore. She's home" Charlie said from the chair behind Harry. Thanking the four Weasleys, Harry rushed up to Ginny's room and slipped in silently, preparing to surprise his girlfriend of over eleven months.

* * *

><p>Ginny walked into the house with Ron, followed by her parents. Ginny and Ron were still arguing.<p>

"I don't see why you have to hang out in my circle of friends. They are my friends, not yours!" Ron shouted.

"They are my friends too, Ron. You can't stop me from spending time with them!" Ginny shouted back.

"You two have been arguing non stop since we left the Ministry of Magic six hours ago. Now, go to your rooms until you can come down and be civil" Mrs. Weasley snapped.

"But mum" Ron started.

"Go, Ronald. You too Ginevra" Mrs. Weasley yelled, leaving her two eldest sons to laugh at their two youngest siblings. Ron and Ginny stomped up the stairs, blaming each other for their punishment, despite the fact that it was both of them arguing with each other that got them in trouble.

Ginny stormed into her room and slammed the door, throwing her jacket on the floor, muttering about insensitive brothers who need to learn that people can have more than one friend.

"So what did he do this time?" Harry asked. Ginny looked over onto her bed to see Harry sitting with his arms behind his head, smiling at her.

"Harry!" Ginny shouted, running over and jumping at Harry and giving him a hug worthy of her mother.

"It's good to see you too, Ginny. But could you loosen your grip up a little bit? I can't breathe" Harry said, his voice strained slightly. Ginny let him go, looking slightly sheepish.

"I missed you" she whispered.

"But you saw me today" Harry reminded her.

"So what? I still missed you" Ginny said, giving her boyfriend a kiss and moving to sit on his lap.

"Good thing Sirius let me come over today" Harry said, smirking slightly.

"So are you really done with the Dursleys for good?" Ginny asked him.

"Yeah, I'm living with Sirius from now on" Harry said happily.

"I'm glad. So how often are you going to be able to come over?" Ginny asked. Harry shrugged.

"I'm not sure, Gin. I haven't really talked about it with Sirius yet" Harry admitted.

"Make sure you tell me once you figure it out though. I don't know how long I will be able to last without this" Ginny teased.

"Well, I hope Sirius will let me come over a lot. I wouldn't want you to suffer" Harry told her, winking slightly.

"You have no idea how torturous the last three weeks have been. I have been Harry deprived this entire time" Ginny said, covering her eyes in mock horror.

"We have written each other letters all day every day. Hedwig has been flying between here and Privet Drive up to 8 times on some days" Harry told her, slightly amused by how much his girlfriend was over-reacting.

"It just isn't the same as seeing you in person, hero" Ginny teased, bringing her head out of her arms to reach up and grab Harry's hair. Harry gave her

"Have I ever told you that your hair is irresistible?" Ginny asked, running it through her hands.

"No, but that doesn't mean you can't say it anyways" Harry joked, giving Ginny a small peck on the cheek. Just as Harry kissed Ginny, the young Weasley jumped on her boyfriend, tackling her onto her bed and she kissed him. Harry responded to the touch of his girlfriend by intensifying the kiss.

Harry was about to intensify the kiss when he felt Ginny being drug away from him.

Harry looked up to see Ginny sitting on edge of the bed and Charlie standing over them.

"I know you two want to spend time together, but mum called you down for dinner almost fifteen minutes ago, Ginny" Charlie told the couple.

"It couldn't have been that long. We didn't hear anything" Harry told him.

"I'm not joking, you two. Mum got so upset, she was about to come back here. Lucky for you two, I had just finished my dinner and I was elected to get you. You had better come up with a good excuse" Charlie told them.

"Any ideas?" Ginny asked, giving Charlie her best innocent face.

"Sorry kiddo, I can't think of anything. You two can't use the homework excuse so I don't have any idea" Charlie said sadly. He gave the young couple a sympathetic smile before walking back out to dinner.

"Well, what are we going to do?" Harry asked.

"Just follow my lead, I have an idea" Ginny told him. Harry could see the mischievous glint in her eye and he decided that not questioning it was better in the long run.

* * *

><p>Harry followed Ginny out of her room and out to where the rest of the Weasleys were eating dinner.<p>

"There you are, Ginny. What were you doing that took you so long?" Mrs. Weasley asked.

"Yes, little Gin Gin" Fred said.

"What were you doing" George asked.

"For so long" Fred said.

"Alone in your room" George said.

"With Harry Potter?" the twins asked.

"Do tell, little sister" Charlie teased.

"Well, you all know that Harry moved in with Sirius today, so we were talking about how much his life has changed and will change in the future" Ginny explained, sitting down at the table.

"Good one" Charlie mouthed to Ginny, behind Molly's back.

"Harry, dear, are you staying for dinner?" Mrs. Weasley asked.

"I already ate, Mrs. Weasley. Sirius took me out to dinner after I moved in" Harry lied. Ginny gave him a look but he brushed it off quickly. Nobody else was able to see though Harry's lie, so he pulled up a chair and sat down next to Ginny, casually making conversation with the Weasleys while they ate.

"So Harry, you're living with Sirius permanently now?" Bill asked.

"Yeah, we signed the contract the afternoon and turned it into the Ministry of Magic already" Harry explained.

"In that case, can you tell Sirius that Bill Weasley needs to see him at Gringotts at noon on Wednesday?" Bill asked.

"Yeah, sure, I will tell him once I get home" Harry said. When he said that, Harry noticed Bill's demeanor lighten noticeably, though he didn't think anything about it because the twins began to talk next.

"So, Harry was in little Gin Gin's room" Fred said.

"And Hermione was in ickle ronnicken's room" George said.

"That sounds very suspicious" Fred and George said in tandem.

"I for one was under the impression that Harry and Ron were both coming up to Ron's room, but I was wrong" Hermione huffed angrily, glaring at Charlie and Bill who were both looking around innocently.

"I just wanted to come and spend some time with my friends, so I came over and I waited for a few minutes in Ginny's room" Harry explained.

"Well, Harry, I don't think I want to know what you and my little sister were doing in her room" Bill said, covering his eyes in mock horror.

"Bill!" Ginny shouted, her face turning slightly red as she sunk down in her chair. At that, Molly Weasley shoed her kids out of the dining room and they all went out to the living room to sit down.

"Well, not that this isn't fun, but we've got some work to do" Fred said, following George up to their room. Percy had gone up to his own room right when he had finished dinner, so it left Bill, Charlie, Ron, Hermione, Harry, and Ginny in the living room together. Ginny was sitting on Harry's lap on the armchair while Charlie was sitting on the other armchair. Bill was sitting on the couch with Hermione and Ron trying to stay as far away from each other as they could.

"If I didn't know any better, I would think you two were cold. I haven't seen any couple sit closer together since Charlie dated Nymphadora Tonks while I was still at Hogwarts" Bill mused, looking at Harry and Ginny.

"That relationship went absolutely nowhere. Tonks and I are best friends, nothing else" Charlie said, smiling slightly.

"Yeah, she sure let you have it when you left Hogwarts in the middle of your 7th year" Bill teased.

"Charlie, why did you leave school the day before the 2nd Quidditch match?" Ginny asked.

"Yeah, especially with how well your team did in the first match" Harry told him.

"I just had to get away. So I went to Romania. If the team hadn't done so well in that match, I would have stayed, but after winning our first match 450-20, I knew that the team would still win the Quidditch Cup without me" Charlie said casually, sitting back in the chair.

"That match still holds school records, you know" Hermione said.

"Oh, which ones?" Charlie asked.

"Highest score by 1 team in a match, most dominating win, and most goals by one team" Hermione told him.

"Records are made to be broken" Charlie muttered.

"And nobody can forget that in your years as seeker, you played every match and only failed to catch the snitch once, having a 15-1 completion rate" Ron said.

"Nobody has ever gotten close! In Hogwarts: A History, I read that the 2nd best completion rate by number of completions was 8-4 and by percentage was 6-1" Hermione told him.

"What can I say? I was really, really good" Charlie said.

"Not so fast, Charlie; Harry's completion rate is at 6-1 and he still has four years of school left, so he could beat both of your personal records" Ginny said, pulling her boyfriend close despite his red face.

"We'll see, Ginny, we will see" Charlie muttered, glancing up at Harry. The younger seeker was hiding behind his sister's hair in a comedic way, and Charlie had to hold back a laugh.

"So, Charlie, when do you go back to Romania?" Bill asked.

"I'm only staying for another week, I need to get back to work soon" Charlie said.

"But Charlie, you just got here!" Ginny cried, causing Harry to pull his head out of her hair.

"Ginny, you know I don't get many days off work. I am lucky to be able to come home for holidays" Charlie told her.

"Charlie, I think what Ginny is trying to say is that she misses you and she wants to spend some more time with you before going back to work" Harry explained, grabbing Ginny's hands comfortingly. Once again, both Harry and Ginny felt sparks fly through their bodies.

"I'm not good enough for you anymore, Ginny?" Bill asked, smiling slightly at his now blushing little sister.

"That's not what I meant, Bill, I mean, I see you way more often than I see Charlie, and you know just as well as I do that Charlie is never at home anymore" Ginny said, looking slightly sheepish.

"I know Charlie is never at home anymore, but I also know why" Bill said. He looked around to see that his parents were in the other room, out of hearing distance before using his wand to mutter a silencing spell around the four Weasleys, Harry, and Hermione.

"Ron, Ginny, I want to tell you why Charlie and I are never at home anymore, but you can't tell anybody else" Bill said, glaring at the four younger witches and wizards. All four of the current Gryffindor students agreed whole-heartedly and Bill took a deep breath.

"Now, you all know that I left school right before the 2nd Quidditch match my 7th year" Charlie told them.

"And right after I graduated, I went to the muggle world for over 2 years, training to become a muggle boxer" Bill said.

"Yes, but why did you do it?" Ron asked.

"Do you want the truth?" Charlie asked.

"If you aren't going to tell the truth, then don't say anything" Hermione lectured.

"The truth is, both of us needed to get away from where mum was controlling us" Bill said.

"Even now, when we come to visit, she doesn't realize that we have our own lives. To her, everything has to go her way. She just doesn't realize that we are our own people" Charlie explained.

"You all must have at least begun seeing that" Bill queried.

"It seems like she is just trying to help" Harry argued.

"I will agree with that. She is trying to help, but if anything, she needs to give us more freedom because the longer we listen, the more we need to escape" Charlie told him.

"I will admit it; I wish she wouldn't keep trying to stop me from playing Quidditch and going outside with you guys. She keeps trying to keep me in the house, claiming that she is getting me ready for life" Ginny agreed.

"Now Hermione, don't give us that look. We both love mum dearly, but she was suffocating us, so we had to leave" Bill said.

"We still come for holidays, but we just can't have anybody control us daily as much as mum still tries to" Charlie explained.

"Why are you telling us this?" Ron asked.

"This is just words of advice from people who have been in your positions before. Don't let anybody control you" Bill said.

"Live your own lives. Only you can control your own destiny" Charlie said.

"Just remember that. All of you" Bill begged them.

"We will" the four underage wizards agreed, all muttering a thank you in their own way. At that, Bill removed his silencing charm and everybody went back to casual conversations, mostly about Quidditch or about possible career options, though only Hermione had even begun thinking about possible careers.

After about half an hour, everybody went their separate ways, Charlie and Bill going to the Leaky Cauldron for a night out on the town. Ron and Hermione began arguing again once the eldest Weasley kids had left the Burrow for the night and that caused the young couple to slip out of the Burrow, hand in hand, yet unnoticed by their friends. They went out to go for a walk outside for a little bit.

"What time do you need to be home, Harry?" Ginny asked.

"Sirius said that curfew is at midnight" Harry responded casually, causing Ginny's eyes to widen slightly.

"Wow, that must feel pretty good after all your years with the Dursleys" Ginny prompted.

"Yeah, this is more freedom than I had in the thirteen years with them combined" Harry agreed. At hearing more about how badly Harry was treated at the Dursleys', her hand clenched around his, causing Harry to look at her with concern.

"Are you alright, Ginny?" Harry asked.

"Come with me" Ginny hissed, pulling Harry over to the large tree by the pond and pushed him down against it.

"Ginny, what is it?" Harry asked, looking at his girlfriend with a mixture of worry and fear as she knelt down in front of him.

"Harry, you need to tell me what happened when you lived with your aunt and uncle. You keep making small comments about it and I'm really worried. What did they do to you?" Ginny demanded, her infamous Weasley temper creeping out of her attempts to remain calm. Harry winced and looked down at the ground, careful to keep from looking at Ginny.

"Ginny, don't worry about it. I don't have to go back there ever again, so everything they did can be forgotten" Harry told her. His voice didn't hold happiness, but if anything, it was filled with pain. Ginny's anger died down considerably when she heard his pained voice.

"Harry, please, I'm really worried about you. You always seem to think that you can help everybody, but every time somebody tries to help you, you brush it away. You may be a hero, Harry, but even you need help. Please, let me help you" Ginny begged him, taking both of his hands in hers. Harry looked up at her to see tears glistening in her eyes, threatening to pour over, down her face. He sighed and took a deep breath, unable to give Ginny a reassuring smile like he wanted to.

"Ginny, I can't even explain how much that this means to me, but I just can't talk about what happened yet. I promise you, one day I will be ready to talk, but I just can't right now" Harry told her. It looked to Harry like Ginny was contemplating about what to say. After a few minutes of silence, Ginny took a deep breath and looked deep into the green eyes of her boyfriend.

"I'm just really worried about you, Harry. Just from what you told me about your childhood, it's a miracle that you are alive to tell of it" Ginny told him. Harry sighed and pulled Ginny into him, putting an arm around her as she nestled into him, using his shoulder as a pillow.

"One day Ginny, I promise, I will tell you everything, just not yet" Harry whispered, trying to resist the urge to close his eyes. It seemed like Ginny wasn't even trying to resist as her eyes were already closed. Torn between carrying her inside and closing his eyes as well, Harry looked at his watch and saw that it was only 6:45. He smiled and closed his eyes, unable to summon the willpower to pull himself away from her. Before the young wizard knew it, he was asleep next to his girlfriend.

For Harry, it was his first good night's sleep in a while. For once he was not plagued by nightmares of Voldemort or his parents screaming. Ginny felt the same way, for the first time in a while, her dreams were not of Tom Riddle. Both, Harry and Ginny, were actually dreaming about each other. Though they didn't know it, they both had the same dream.

* * *

><p>Ginny smiled when she looked up and saw the sun peering off behind the clouds. She was at Hogwarts, around the Quidditch Pitch, but on a broom.<p>

"Come on, everybody, let's get a move on" called Angelina Johnson from her broom.

"Ginny" Katie Bell called before tossing her the quaffle. Ginny threw it at the left hoop and scored. She saw Harry up on his broom and smiled when he gave her thumbs up.

Ginny, Angelina, and Katie were doing very well in getting the quaffle through the goalpost. Seemingly out of nowhere, Ginny saw Harry begin a downward spiral and she looked to see a little golden glint in Harry's path.

"If he catches this, we win the cup" Ginny heard Angelina say. Ginny couldn't turn her eyes away from Harry as he got closer to the little golden ball, and neither could the rest of the Gryffindor team. Fred and George aimed the bludgers at the opposing seeker and Ginny looked to see that that little distraction had allowed Harry to catch the snitch.

When she saw that, Ginny propelled her broom toward Harry as fast as she could, grabbing him before kissing him. The kiss only lasted a few moments before the rest of the team gathering around them, cheering that they had defended their title. Gryffindor was back to glory, dominating in Quidditch again.

* * *

><p>Little did Harry and Ginny know that they were being watched by none other than Fred and George.<p>

"Well, Fred, what do you make of this?" George asked.

"It seems to me like little Gin Gin is falling in love" Fred said.

"And with Harry Potter of all people" George said.

"I hope you're not surprised, dear brother" Fred told him.

"Not at all, she's been talking about Harry Potter since she learned how to talk" George said.

"Her first word was 'hewo' after all" Fred muttered.

"So tell me the truth dear brother" George prompted.

"About?" Fred asked.

"How do you really feel about Harry and Ginny being together?" George asked.

"Not so fast, dear brother, you owe me an answer as well" Fred scolded.

"Very well, how about we say it on three?" George asked.

"Fair enough" Fred agreed.

"1" George said.

"2" Fred counted.

"3" the twins said together before taking a deep breath.

"Bloody brilliant" they said in tandem.

"I like the way you think, Gred" George said.

"And I feel the same about you, Forge" Fred agreed. The twins each gave one last look back at the young couple before moving to go inside.

As they started to walk back in, the twins heard Molly calling for Ginny to come back in. looking back to see that neither Harry, nor Ginny had even stirred, the twins went to wake them up.

The twins walked over to them and shook them both lightly.

"Come on lovebirds" Fred said.

"Up you come" George told them.

"Wouldn't want mum to catch you like this" Fred told.

"She would probably lose her mind and try to break you two up" George continued.

"Again" both of the twins muttered, though luckily Harry and Ginny were still wiping sleep out of their eyes.

"What time is it?" Ginny asked.

"Its 8:00 little Gin Gin" Fred told her.

"Mum just called for you to come in" George said.

"But I think you two can walk back in on your own" Fred said.

"Don't take too long" George warned.

"It could be dangerous" the twins said in tandem, putting extra emphasis on dangerous, before winking and leaving Harry and Ginny together.

"That nap was really nice" Harry said, once the twins were out of range.

"Yeah, it was, maybe we can do it again sometime" Ginny whispered, taking Harry's hand and beginning to walk back to the Burrow.

"I think that can easily be arranged, Gin" Harry whispered back, smiling as the electricity flowed through his body from his touch with Ginny.

When they got back to the Burrow, Mrs. Weasley was shocked to see that Harry was still there; obviously thinking he went home already.

"I am actually going to floo home in a few minutes, Mrs. Weasley" Harry assured her.

"Don't worry Harry, dear, stay as long as you like. Oh, and Ginny, do you know where Bill and Charlie are? I haven't seen them since dinner and it's getting late" Mrs. Weasley asked. Harry had to resist the urge to snicker at Mrs. Weasley trying to control her 21 and 23 year old sons.

"No, I haven't seen them since dinner. Have you, Harry?" Ginny asked.

"No, don't worry though Mrs. Weasley, I'm sure they will be fine" Harry assured her. As Mrs. Weasley left the room, Harry and Ginny could hear her talking about irresponsible sons who refused to tell their mother where they were going. The young couple couldn't resist grins at that.

"I guess this is what they meant" Harry said, gesturing behind him where Mrs. Weasley had been a few seconds prior.

"Yeah, I'm glad they gave us a warning though. Hopefully I won't feel the need that they did to get out so fast" Ginny said.

"You still have a few years, so don't worry about it right now" Harry told her.

"Good idea, are you really going to go?" Ginny asked him.

"Yeah, I should probably get home early tonight, since it is my first night" Harry told her.

"That's probably a good idea, Harry. I'll see you soon, right?" Ginny asked.

"As soon as possible, Ginny, promise" Harry told her. Ginny smiled slightly and gave Harry one last kiss, their lips lingering together , trying to get every last moment before being forced apart.

"Bye, Harry" Ginny said, waving at Harry before he threw the floo powder into the fire and disappeared to his home at #12 Grimmauld Place.

Ginny let out a little sigh before going to her room, not noticing that Charlie and Bill had walked in the house just as she kissed Harry goodbye. The two eldest Weasley kids had noticed that Ginny wasn't happy when she wasn't with Harry.

"What can we do, Bill" Charlie asked.

"Right now, I don't think we can do anything, Charlie. I think Ginny needs to figure this out on her own" Bill told him.

"I think you're right. She'll be fine. Ginny has always been tough" Charlie agreed.

"I just hope mum realizes that Ginny and Harry are happier together than they are apart and she doesn't try to break them up again" Bill muttered before walking up the stairs to his room. Charlie lingered for a little bit longer before whipping his wand out and turning to see Gellart Grindlewald standing in front of him.

"Who are you?" Charlie demanded, not recognizing the man in front of him that looked to be underage. Grindlewald smiled, pleased that he had found a way to immortality when he was still at Durmstrang.

* * *

><p>A young 15 year old Gellart Grindlewald was seen sitting around a small cauldron, where a black potion was bubbling in it.<p>

"And the last step, insert one flask of dragon blood, one flask of unicorn blood, and two flasks of basilisk venom" Grindlewald read. He took four flasks in his hand and proceeded to empty them into the potion. When all four flasks had been emptied in the cauldron, the potion began to smoke up, before the potion's size shrinking.

"When you have done all these steps, the potion should have decreased in size to around a cup. Drink the potion without stopping, and the effects will take on before you know it" Grindlewald read. He poured the potion into a cup and began to drink. The drink was disgusting, but once he finished drinking, Gellart could feel the potion beginning to work.

Looking down at the directions, Grindlewald saw that there was one little piece of writing down at the bottom of the page.

"This potion was designed to achieve immortality, and it will make the drinker age just 1 year every century, being retroactive for the previous years of life. Be warned, this potion just increases possible length of life. It is still possible to be killed in a duel" Grindlewald read before stuffing the page into his pocket.

He smiled and when he attempted to walk out of the dungeons, he was met by a battalion of Aurors with wands pointed at him.

"Gellart Grindlewald, you are expelled from Durmstrang Institute due to your stealing of potions ingredients from the headmaster's office. You are banned from returning to Durmstrang. Get out" one of the Aurors ordered. Grindlewald smiled and left, knowing that he had already gotten everything he needed.

When Grindlewald walked out of the school, he quickly apparated away. He was ready to begin his hunt for the elder wand.

* * *

><p>"I am a friend of Harry Potter, and from the looks of it, you have realized the same thing that I have" Grindlewald said.<p>

"What is that?" Charlie demanded.

"You can see that Harry is only happy when with your sister and vice versa" Grindlewald said.

"Yes, I have noticed that" Charlie admitted, reluctantly lowering his wand.

"Come, let us talk in private" Grindlewald said, gesturing for Charlie to follow, and Charlie listened.

When the two men were out of range of the Burrow, Grindlewald conjured chairs for them.

"Who are you?" Charlie asked again.

"I am Gellart Grindlewald" Grindlewald told him.

"Impossible, Gellart Grindlewald is over 100 years old and he is trapped in a prison cell" Charlie argued.

"Why would I be stuck in a prison cell?" Grindlewald asked.

"Because Dumbledore beat you and put you there" Charlie told him.

"That is not true, nobody knows that I actually beat Dumbledore that day" Grindlewald explained.

"I don't believe that" Charlie said confidently.

Smirking, Grindlewald conjured a pensieve and proceeded to put some of his memories in the pensieve.

"Care to see for yourself?" Gellart asked, gesturing toward the pensieve. Tentatively, Charlie got up and walked over to the pensieve, looking in it and back toward Grindlewald before nodding once.

At that, both Charlie Weasley and Gellart Grindlewald went right into the memory.

* * *

><p>The street was large, about 100 meters wide, with little lighting, the moon providing most of the light.<p>

At one end of the street, Dumbledore had his wand ready. At the other end of the street, Gellart Grindlewald was approaching.

"Ah, so now you see me" Gellart said to Charlie.

"You look exactly the same" Charlie muttered.

"Tell me Charlie, what happened in this duel?" Gellart told him.

"You and Dumbledore fought a magnificent duel, before Dumbledore beat you" Charlie told him.

"And that is where you are wrong" Grindlewald said, smiling slightly.

Turning toward the duel, Gellart and Charlie began to watch intently as memory Grindlewald approached Dumbledore.

"Dumbledore" Grindlewald hissed.

"Gellart, what happened to you?" Dumbledore asked.

"This is who I am, Albus, it's time you realized it" Gellart said, pointing the elder wand at his old friend. Dumbledore took out his wand and sent a stunning spell at Grindlewald. Grindlewald deflected it without even moving his stance.

"Have you forgotten how to duel already, Dumbledore?" Grindlewald asked, smiling slightly before bowing to Dumbledore, something that Dumbledore didn't replicate.

Instead, the wizard shot another stunner at his old friend. Grindlewald frowned and blocked it again. Grindlewald attempted to hit Dumbledore with the cruciatus curse, though Dumbledore was able to dodge.

Dumbledore launched a powerful curse at Grindlewald that the dark wizard easily evaded. Grindlewald smirked and sent the killing curse at Dumbledore. Dumbledore sent a disarming spell that connected with the killing curse.

The two wizards fought for control, with Gellart slowly gaining the upper hand. The green beam was slowly eating up the red beam and getting closer to Dumbledore. When it looked like Dumbledore was about to give in, Grindlewald got hit in the back with a stunning spell. Grindlewald quickly got up and grabbed the elder wand, looking right into the eyes of a young Alastor Moody. It was before Moody lost both his leg and his eye.

Angered, Grindlewald sent a curse at Moody that sent him sprawling back into the wall, unconscious, before finally turning back toward Dumbledore. Grindlewald sent a strong curse at Dumbledore who despite his strongest shield, the curse got through and sent him flying, his wand flying out of his hand. Grindlewald grabbed Dumbledore's wand and smiled before he walked over toward his old friend. Grindlewald had a confident swagger, knowing that he had won.

"Dumbledore, I always thought you were better than this" Grindlewald muttered. He looked down to see that Dumbledore's eyes were glazed over.

Frowning, Grindlewald took out his wand and took it to Dumbledore's head. Dumbledore convulsed for a few moments until Grindlewald removed his wand. Grindlewald proceeded to do that to the rest of the people who were present, including Moody.

* * *

><p>"What did you do?" Charlie asked.<p>

"I modified their memories. Everybody except for Dumbledore thought that he beat me in a spectacular three hour duel. Dumbledore knew the truth, but he also had a new resolve to not fight me again. He knew that I could win easily" Grindlewald explained.

"I also made him think he had the elder wand" Grindlewald thought.

"Why did you show me that?" Charlie asked, his mind reeling from what he just saw.

"Dumbledore is not invincible, you need to know that. Now, I know that you are wondering what this has to do with Harry and your sister" Gellart said. Charlie nodded and ushered for Gellart to continue.

"I am teaching Harry some things that will help him in the fight with Voldemort. I am teaching him the things that Dumbledore doesn't want him to know" Gellart explained.

"You're the reason why he learned how to box" Charlie realized.

"That is correct, I am also teaching him Occlumency, to become an Animagus, and this summer he will be learning the 4th year curriculum so next year he can take his OWL exams for Dumbledore" Grindlewald said.

"What does this have to do with my sister?" Charlie demanded.

"You obviously know about when Harry saved your sister from the Chamber of Secrets. When he did that, a soul bond was created between them. Because of that soul bond, eventually I will begin training your sister as well" Grindlewald told him.

"You're joking, right?" Charlie asked.

"I'm afraid I'm not joking, Charlie. Both Harry and Ginny need to be ready for Voldemort, and I can train them to get ready. Now, I cannot stay too much longer. Before I go, I need you to realize something. Because of the bond, Harry and Ginny need to be together more so they can come to terms with what they are going through. I am warning you, there will be a time where Harry and Ginny won't be able to leave each other's touch. We can only hope that they won't enter the physical stage while they are at school" Grindlewald told him.

"Is that the next stage of the bond, Mr. Grindlewald?" Charlie asked, almost afraid of the answer.

"It could be, Charlie, but they could enter it tomorrow or in ten years. I just want you to be prepared for if it does happen" Grindlewald told him.

"Why do you care?" Charlie demanded, glaring at Grindlewald.

"Harry is the one hope for the Wizarding world. While I could beat Voldemort, I am sure of it, Harry has to be the one who ends it. demanded, glaring at Grindlewald.

"Harry is the one hope for the Wizarding world. While I could beat Voldemort, I am sure of it, Harry has to be the one who ends it. Your sister has helped him more than anybody else. He feels such a need to protect her that gives him power that nobody can match. He has much potential, but he can only achieve his true power with the help of your sister" Grindlewald explained.

"What do you mean?" Charlie demanded.

"Harry produced a patronus charm that was strong enough to repel over one hundred Dementors using a memory of his first kiss with your sister. When he didn't think of your sister, he couldn't even repel a boggart Dementor" Grindlewald explained. Charlie's eyes opened wide, as he realized what Harry could do with Ginny's help.

"I will leave now, Charlie, but I want you to do your best to get Harry and Ginny to spend as much time together as they can. It is for their own good" Grindlewald told him. Charlie nodded and before he turned his back, Grindlewald apparated away, leaving Charlie to his thoughts.

* * *

><p>Grindlewald apparated right into Harry's trunk, right into the dueling chamber where he normally instructed Harry, shocked to see the boy waiting for him.<p>

"Good evening, Mr. Grindlewald" Harry greeted.

"Harry, what are you doing here?" Grindlewald asked.

"We need to train, sir" Harry said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"Right, let's get started then. Wand at the ready, Potter" Grindlewald said, before proceeding to attack Harry with standard 4th year spells, Harry defending and counterpunching, attempting to break through Grindlewald's defenses.

At the end of the duel, after Harry had been stunned, Grindlewald sat down and looked at the 13 year old in front of him.

"Harry, you are doing well. I have no doubts that you will be able to pass the exams by the end of the summer" Grindlewald told him.

"Ron mentioned to me that hey are going to the Quidditch World Cup later this summer. Am I going to be able to go? Will we be able to work training and the exams around that?" Harry asked.

"As long as we are done training by then, I don't care. I guarantee you can pass the charms exam, the defense against the dark arts exam, and the transfiguration exam with outstandings. Despite what I have heard about your potions career at Hogwarts, I think you will get an exceeds expectations, though you still have a little bit of work to do to make sure. As of right now, you will not pass Herbology, history of magic, or astronomy. We still have 6 weeks to get you up to date on those classes" Grindlewald said.

"Do we have a date set for the exams yet?" Harry asked.

"You will go to Hogwarts on august 27th to take all of your exams" Grindlewald told him.

"Yes, sir" Harry agreed.

"But for the next six weeks we will be working for 12 hours every day, not all at once, but a total of 12 hours. You get a day off for your birthday and for your girlfriend's birthday. Other than that, we work every day, no exceptions" Grindlewald told him. Harry readily agreed, happy that he would even get any days off. In the past, even when he had Quidditch matches, Grindlewald made him work either double the next day or around the match.

"I will see you tomorrow at 6:00 AM like usual, Potter" Harry took that as his cue to leave and bowed before leaving, going right to bed.

Truth be told, Harry was just glad that he was finally free of the Dursleys for good, though in his dreams, he still ached for Ginny.

* * *

><p>At the Burrow, a disgruntled Charlie Weasley was pacing in his room, contemplating what to do.<p>

"That's it; tomorrow, I need to know if that guy was telling the truth. I need to talk to Dumbledore" Charlie said, a new resolve forming in the back of his mind, the urge to learn the truth.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: Whoa this chapter was really long! 10000 words! The longest chapter by far for this story. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, I think it was a good one. I intentionally left many ties wide open, so the next chapter will tie up a few things from this chapter.<strong>

**What is Dumbledore going to say about Sirius getting Harry out of Privet Drive? And who is Lauren Singleton, the brown haired girl that Sirius had in his bed? Why does Bill need to talk to Sirius? What is going to happen when Charlie talks to Dumbledore? Was Grindlewald's memory correct or is history correct? Harry's birthday and Ginny's birthday will also be in the next chapter, as well as their year anniversary. Harry also has to keep training with Grindlewald, running out of time before his 8/27 deadline.**

**Is there anything else anybody wants to see in the next chapter? If so make sure you tell me with a review. Even if there isn't anything specific you want to see, review and tell me what you think about the story. Can anybody see anything that I can improve? If so, tell me.**


	11. The First True Birthday

**The First True Birthday**

Right after lunch, the day after his talk with Gellart Grindlewald, Charlie Weasley apparated into Hogsmeade. Charlie then began marching right into Hogwarts, carving a path right to the headmaster's office. He was stopped right before the gargoyle by a confused Minerva McGonagall.

"Well, look who it is, might I ask what you are doing here, Mr. Weasley?" McGonagall asked.

"I need to talk to Dumbledore, right now. It's urgent" Charlie said, his arms crossed with impatience.

"Is this about your sister by any chance" Minerva asked. Charlie gave her a curt nod before Minerva sighed.

"I really shouldn't do this, and I should kick you out of the castle for having the audacity to show your face here after you left in the middle of the year, but Albus did warn me that one of Ms. Weasley's brothers might come with questions for him" Minerva told him.

"Did he mention what it was about?" Charlie asked, his voice void of all emotion.

"No, he didn't, and I'm guessing that you will not inform me, either?" McGonagall inquired. Charlie gave her a small nod, causing his former professor to sigh in annoyance.

"Salt water taffy" McGonagall said before gesturing for Charlie to go forward as the gargoyle began to go up to the headmaster's office. Charlie noticed that McGonagall reluctantly allowed him entrance, making Charlie think that McGonagall's reaction was caused by more than just being upset with Charlie for leaving Hogwarts six months early, but he didn't have time to dwell on that thought, the gargoyle stopping and Charlie knowing that it was time for answers.

When Charlie got up to the headmaster's office, he knocked and entered quickly as he heard Dumbledore beckon for him to enter.

"Mr. Dumbledore, I need to have a word with you" Charlie demanded, glaring at Dumbledore.

"What can I help you with, Mr. Weasley?" Dumbledore asked, gesturing for Charlie to sit down. Charlie did and narrowed his eyes.

"I talked to somebody who claimed to be Gellart Grindlewald and he showed me a memory that showed that he destroyed you in your duel" Charlie told him.

"Why did Grindlewald tell you that, Mr. Weasley?" Dumbledore asked, the twinkle in his eye disappearing instantly.

"Why he said it doesn't matter. I want to know if it is true" Charlie demanded, his anger beginning to overflow as he slammed his fists on Dumbledore's desk.

"Yes, Mr. Weasley, it is true. Grindlewald beat me, but he made it seem to everybody like I beat him" Dumbledore explained, his demeanor turning grim.

"Why? If he beat you so easily, why wouldn't he just kill you and continue his run for dominance?" Charlie asked.

"Truthfully, I don't know why he didn't kill me. He stopped his plans for world domination, and now he is training Harry" Dumbledore explained, giving out a sigh.

"Do you know why Grindlewald looks like he is fifteen?" Charlie asked.

"No, in truth, it doesn't look like he has aged at all since I met him. Perhaps he is just using advanced glamour charms, but I am not sure" Dumbledore admitted.

"Do you trust him?" Charlie asked. He noticed that Dumbledore took his time in coming up with an answer.

"There is nobody that I would rather have fighting for my life" Dumbledore said cryptically.

"That doesn't answer my question and you know it, Dumbledore" Charlie snapped, clenching his fists, trying to resist the urge to attack the old but cryptic headmaster.

`"Alright, Charlie, you really are forcing me to tell you. I trust Gellart Grindlewald to do what is right" Dumbledore told him.

"You trust him to train Harry?" Charlie asked.

"I still say Harry should have a normal childhood, but Gellart refuses to listen. He started training Harry before talking to me about it, but I shouldn't be surprised. If anything, I have to answer to Gellart, not the other way around" Dumbledore said.

"Is he going to hurt Harry?" Charlie asked.

"He has the ability, but I don't think he will. Gellart seems to be trying to help Harry get stronger. I don't know why, but it seems like all he wants is to help Harry" Dumbledore said.

"Grindlewald seems to think that Harry and Ginny are developing a soul bond" Charlie told Dumbledore.

"Truthfully, I have looked at the signs that the students have been showing over the past year, and I believe him" Dumbledore said.

"What can we do to help them? Does anybody know what will happen to them next?" Charlie asked.

"No, not even Gellart knows. For now, all we can do is listen to them and hope that nothing bad happens. Right now, they know more than anybody else does about this bond of theirs" Dumbledore said, noticing that Charlie was not happy with that answer.

"Is it possible for them to die because of this bond?" Charlie asked, closing his eyes, almost afraid for the answer.

"I don't know, Mr. Weasley, only time can tell us" Dumbledore said sadly, looking up at Charlie. Charlie sighed and looked at Dumbledore, wanting to end the conversation quickly.

"So let me get this straight. Are you willing to admit that Gellart Grindlewald is alive, not in prison, and he looks like he is fifteen?" Charlie asked.

"That is all true, Mr. Weasley" Dumbledore agreed.

"Thank you for your time, Mr. Dumbledore" Charlie said, getting up and beginning to walk out the door.

"Don't tell anybody about this, Charlie! There are only four people who know the truth!" Dumbledore shouted. Charlie rolled his eyes but he still gave Dumbledore a short brusque nod before walking out of the headmaster's office and out of Hogwarts, going back home to the Burrow, getting ready for Harry and Ginny's birthdays.

* * *

><p>Back at the Burrow, Harry and Ginny were in the kitchen with Sirius and Molly, trying to come up with birthday ideas.<p>

"Maybe we can just have a joint birthday for you two. Your birthdays are two weeks apart and your friends are mostly the same" Mrs. Weasley suggested.

"I'm okay with that. What about you, Ginny?" Harry asked.

"I like that idea, we can just have one party in the middle" Ginny agreed.

"Where do you two want to have the party? Here or at Grimmauld Place?" Sirius asked.

"It would probably be easier to have the party here" Mrs. Weasley said.

"Actually, I think it would be nice to have the party at Grimmauld Place. It is the first time Harry has ever lived away from the Dursleys. Maybe we should have the party there" Ginny suggested.

"I like that idea" Harry said.

"I hope I will be invited" Charlie called as soon as he walked through the door.

"Of course you will be, Charlie" Mrs. Weasley said, before Charlie sat down between Harry and Sirius before putting his feet up on the table, ignoring his mother wanting him to put his feet down.

"Ginny, I'm sure you would rather have the party here, at your home" Mrs. Weasley told her.

"No, mum, I actually would like to have the party at Harry's house this year" Ginny told her. Mrs. Weasley looked like she had been slapped.

"I'm sure Harry agrees with me too" Ginny said confidently.

"I want to have the party at Grimmauld Place" Harry agreed, not even stopping to think about his answer. Neither Harry nor Ginny noticed when Sirius and Charlie shared a knowing look.

"Whipped" Sirius mouthed to Charlie who snickered.

"Ginny, I'm sure you are making a mistake" Mrs. Weasley told her.

"Sirius, can we have our joint birthday party at Grimmauld Place?" Ginny asked, completely ignoring her mother.

"Sure, I'm cool with that" Sirius agreed.

"So it's settled then" Harry said.

"No, nothing is settled!" Mrs. Weasley argued.

"Why are you so insistent on not having the party at Grimmauld Place mum?" Charlie asked.

"Harry and Ginny are young. They need to have a party in the home that they both know" Mrs. Weasley said.

"Well, personally, I think you are just trying to get the party here and you refuse to acknowledge the fact that both Harry and Ginny want to have the party at Grimmauld Place" Charlie told her.

"Mum, it isn't that we don't want the party here, it's just that with Harry finally moving into a house with somebody who doesn't hate him. We should celebrate" Ginny told her mother.

"I don't see why you don't want to celebrate here, at your home" Mrs. Weasley exclaimed.

"Mum, I am tired of trying to explain this to you. Harry and I are having a joint birthday party at Grimmauld Place and that is it!" Ginny exclaimed.

"How about this? Why don't we have Harry's party at Grimmauld Place on his birthday and Ginny's party here on her birthday? Just to even everything out, mum can cook all the food that she wants for both parties. The real catch is that Harry and Ginny can spend all day together at the house of the party with no interruptions so they can have more time together" Charlie suggested.

"I think that will be a better idea personally" Sirius admitted.

"Mrs. Weasley, Sirius is alright with it, and I think we would love it if you could still make our cake and maybe help with dinner?" Harry suggested, knowing how much Mrs. Weasley liked to cook for people.

"I think I could do that" Mrs. Weasley agreed.

"It's settled, then" Sirius said.

"It's settled" Ginny agreed happily.

"Come on, Harry, let's get going. We have some things to do today" Sirius said, getting up from the table. Harry got up and followed Sirius over to the fireplace, ready to floo home.

Harry gave one last look to Ginny before going back to Grimmauld Place once again.

* * *

><p>When Harry got back to Grimmauld Place, he found Sirius sitting on the couch, almost as if he were waiting for him.<p>

"Harry, we have a lot to do today. You need to come up with a birthday present for Ginny, and an anniversary present. While you are doing that, I will be getting this place ready for the party next week. And I also have somebody I need you to meet" Sirius said.

"Okay, well, I actually have an idea for Ginny's birthday present, but I'm going to need your help to get it. We decided to celebrate our anniversary on September 1st because that is the day we officially decided to make our relationship public" Harry told him.

"I can definitely help you with that, Harry. First thing first thought; I would like you to meet Lauren Singleton, one of my old friends from school" Sirius said. Harry looked up to see a woman with long brown hair walking toward him.

"It's nice to finally meet you, Harry. Sirius has said a lot about you" Lauren said.

"Knowing Sirius, I don't know if that is good or not" Harry muttered.

"Don't worry, Harry, it was all good" Lauren assured him, a small grin on her face.

"I'm guessing what Padfoot meant by old friend is girlfriend?" Harry asked, a wry grin creeping onto his face.

"Guilty as charged" Lauren said, a smile appearing on her face again. Sirius smirked as well and Harry had to resist the urge to roll his eyes.

"So, what's the plan then, Padfoot?" Harry asked.

"Well, I think we need to get your birthday present for Ginny figured out. So tell me, Harry, what is your idea?" Sirius asked.

"I think you're going to like this, Padfoot" Harry said, a mischievous smile on his face.

* * *

><p>It was the date of Harry's birthday party, Ginny slept in as usual, despite wanting to see Harry. When she did get up, she got dressed and rushed downstairs to eat her breakfast, somehow knowing that her mother would never let her go over to see Harry until she had eaten her breakfast.<p>

"Wow, little Gin Gin, in my whole life, I've never seen you move this fast in the morning" Fred said.

"Why on earth would you be moving so fast, unless you wanted to see a certain green-eyed hero?" George teased. But for once, Ginny didn't care about the twins' teasing. All she wanted to do was see Harry.

Hermione had arrived at the Burrow the night before, but even she was surprised at how much Ginny wanted to go to Grimmauld Place to see Harry.

"Mum, I'm done with dinner, can I go to Harry's house now?" Ginny asked.

"But his party isn't until this afternoon, Ginny. Why do you need to go so early?" Mrs. Weasley asked.

"I want to see Harry, mum. Even though he moved, we still can't spend time together" Ginny told her.

"Fine, Ginny, we'll see you at the party" Mrs. Weasley said. Ginny smiled widely and rushed off to the fireplace.

"Have fun, Ginny" Hermione called out.

"Make sure you use protection, Ginny!" Fred shouted.

"Yeah, we don't want to be uncles yet!" George agreed.

"Shut up!" Ginny shouted, blushing a deep crimson at the twins' implications.

"Come on, guys, we all know Ginny won't do that yet. Nobody can get ahead of Bill" Charlie teased. The eldest Weasley child smirked slightly, turning toward his brother.

"Come on, Charlie, you're the one in Romania all the time. With all the girls I'm sure you attract, if anybody has kids it will probably be you" Bill replied casually.

"Despite all that, we can never be too careful" Fred argued.

"Ginny tends to lose her mind when around Harry" George agreed.

"We can only hope that little Gin Gin can resist" Fred agreed. Ginny quickly grabbed some floo powder and flood to Grimmauld Place. The last thing Ginny heard from the Burrow was Ron talking about how happy that she makes Harry.

She couldn't help but feel her entire stance improve at that.

* * *

><p>"Come on, Piniks, what are you doing?" Sirius shouted.<p>

"Sorry, Padfoot, I'm just not rushing today" Harry returned.

"Well, your girlfriend could be here any minute, and I don't think you want to keep her waiting" Sirius lectured.

"I know, I know; don't worry about it, I'm coming down" Harry shouted back. And true to his word, Harry Potter came bounding down the stairs with a sheepish smile on his face when he saw the annoyed look on his godfather's face. Truthfully, Sirius had to resist laughing at how lazy Harry was being until he mentioned Ginny.

"Don't worry, Sirius, I'm sure Lauren is coming over soon" Harry joked. He knew that he said the right thing when Sirius smiled a little bit.

"She's coming over soon, but somebody is about to come through the fireplace. I don't know who it is, but it isn't Lauren" Sirius told him. Moving seemingly faster than he had ever moved before, Harry sprinted toward the fireplace, getting there just in time to see a small blob with red hair walking out.

Almost before she could react, Ginny felt herself being picked up by Harry. As Harry picked her up, Ginny kissed Harry full on, causing the largest bolt of electricity that either of them had ever felt to fly through their bodies at that precise moment. They only broke the kiss because they needed air, but when they looked at each other; both of them wished they hadn't stopped.

"Whoa" both Harry and Ginny said in tandem, giving each other ear-to-ear grins at the same time.

At that, Harry took Ginny's hand and led her up to his new room, both unable to focus on anything else.

They attention was so intent on each other, they didn't even notice that everybody was waiting for them already and that everybody had been watching the kiss that Harry and Ginny shared together.

* * *

><p>"Whoa, anybody else thinks it's weird that they didn't notice us at all?" George asked. Everybody seemed so shocked that Fred didn't even have a response to that.<p>

"That was really weird; we've been here sitting here, watching them for twenty minutes. I thought they would have noticed us by now" Ron said.

"And Ginny got here almost four hours ago" Sirius said.

"It seemed like they are losing track of the time whenever they are together" Arthur noted.

"That would have been so helpful back in school" Lauren said casually, winking at Sirius.

"Yeah, that definitely would have helped" Lupin agreed, smirking along with Sirius.

"Well, maybe we should go get them and start the party?" Bill suggested.

"I will go get them" Mrs. Weasley decided, but when she got up, she was blocked by her 2nd son.

"No, no, I will get them for us, mum. You just sit down and relax. We'll be down in a minute" Charlie told her. Before Molly Weasley could respond, Charlie rushed up the stairs and up to the bedrooms. Not knowing which room was Harry's, Charlie performed a locating spell on the rooms.

When he found which one Harry and Ginny were in, he knocked three times on the door.

"Come in!" Harry called. At Harry's words, Charlie walked into the room, to see Ginny sitting on Harry's lap, sitting on the bed and covered in a blanket. When Harry and Ginny saw it was Charlie knocking on the door and not Sirius, they blushed and scrambled apart, careful to stay under the blanket.

"I really hope you two are decent under there" Charlie said, looking at the floor, careful to avoid looking anywhere near the young couple sitting on the bed in front of him.

"Yeah, we are, don't worry about that" Harry assured him.

"Do you two know that we were all downstairs when you two were sucking each other's faces?" Charlie asked.

"You guys were downstairs all this time? Impossible" Ginny told him.

"Yeah, we've been up here for about two hours" Harry told him, not believing a word that Charlie was saying.

"Well actually, you two went upstairs about two minutes ago, and you two were snogging so intently in front of all of us for about twenty minutes. We were all trying to talk to you, but it was to no avail. You two didn't listen to anything" Charlie told them, his gaze almost looked scolding.

"That's impossible, we would have heard you" Harry argued.

"Harry, do you think that maybe this could be part of the bond?" Ginny asked. She winced when Harry shushed her and Ginny paled, just remembering that Charlie was looking at them.

"Don't worry; I already know all about the soul bond between you two" Charlie told them.

"How do you know?" Harry asked.

"Grindlewald told me" Charlie said. Harry's eyes opened wide and he squeezed Ginny's hand under the blanket.

"We need to see if Grindlewald has figured anything out about our bond" Harry said, gazing into Ginny's deep brown eyes.

"We need to talk to Ron and Hermione too, they are our best friends, and I think it is time to tell them about this" Ginny told him.

"Harry, Ginny, as much as I hate to interrupt this little episode, I think it is time to start your party" Charlie told them.

Smiling slightly, as if sharing an inside joke between them, Harry and Ginny got up and walked hand in hand out the door behind a bewildered Charlie who was mumbling something about how Harry and Ginny were acting weirder and weirder every time he saw them.

* * *

><p>When the three of them got downstairs, they were met with amused stares from the twins, Bill, Sirius, Lupin, and Lauren as well as disapproving stares from Molly and Arthur. Charlie, Percy, Ron, and Hermione were indifferent, with Charlie already seeing the two and Percy not knowing them well enough to make assumptions. Ron and Hermione were truthfully used to seeing their two friends like that after the past year of seeing it.<p>

"So, what were you to doing up in your room after that long kiss?" Sirius asked.

"Yeah, you two didn't even stop to breathe for over forty-five minutes. That's higher than the record Sirius and I set. I applaud both of you" Lauren added incredulously.

"We didn't realize that you guys were watching us, or we would have stopped" Harry said, giving a sheepish smile.

"Yeah, right" Remus muttered.

"I agree with Moony, you two can't resist each other" Sirius agreed.

"I don't even want to know what you two would have done if Charlie hadn't gone up" Bill told them.

"Bill!" Ginny shouted while her face began turning a shade of red darker than her hair.

Sensing the awkwardness, Hermione hit Ron's knee and urged him to try and break the silence.

"Well, is anybody else hungry?" Ron called out.

Rolling his eyes at Ron's poor attempt to lighten the mood, Sirius called for everybody to take a seat at the table.

"Well, I guess I'm supposed to say something. Well, happy birthday, Harry, let's eat" Sirius said. He looked over at Kreacher, a miserable looking house elf in the corner. At Sirius's glare, Kreacher reluctantly snapped his fingers and a feast appeared on the table, much like at Hogwarts.

And just like at Hogwarts, everybody ate to their fill, talking aimlessly about everything from school to Quidditch.

"So, Ginny, are you trying out for the Quidditch team next year?" Sirius asked.

"I haven't really thought about it, to be honest. I didn't know that positions were opening" Ginny admitted.

"Yeah, Wood and Alicia both graduated this year, so the keeper position is open and one of the chaser positions is open" George said.

"Are you going to join us on the team, little sister?" Fred asked.

"You know, I think I will" Ginny agreed.

"What about you, Ron? Are you going to try out?" Charlie asked.

"Yeah, I think I will too. I have always wanted to be a keeper for the Gryffindor team" Ron admitted.

"And I want to be a chaser, just like Bill" Ginny said. Bill gave Ginny a small smile in appreciation and Mrs. Weasley looked like she was about to blow.

"So, I guess next year's team will be red" Fred said.

"Even more so than our uniforms" George agreed. The hollow, poor attempt at a joke caused everybody to roll their eyes or just ignore the twins for the time being.

Once everybody was done eating, Sirius ushered everybody into the front room while Kreacher took care of the plates.

"Alright, I haven't been to a birthday party in just about thirteen years, so I don't know what we do next" Sirius admitted, giving Harry an apologetic smile.

"And this is the first birthday party I have ever been to, not to mention the first party for me, so I don't know either. Anybody who wants to help, feel free" Harry agreed simply.

"Well, mate, there's a giant stack of presents here with your name on all of them" Ron told him.

"So open them!" Hermione told him.

"Wait, these are all mine?" Harry asked in disbelief. Ginny saw him sway back and forth, in shock, and she put her arm around his waist to help keep him steady. He turned and gave her a small smile of appreciation before turning back to the large stack of presents. While it wasn't as big as anything Dudley had had when Harry was growing up, it still was a large size. Sensing Harry's shock, Ginny sat him down and sat down next to him, ignoring the raised eyebrow she was getting from Charlie.

"Well, we have an issue with our present" Fred said.

"Well not really an issue per say" George argued.

"What's the problem?" Molly asked.

"Our present isn't just for Harry. It's for both Harry and Ginny" Fred said.

"It is there choice as to when they want to open it though" George announced.

"But you should open it now" Fred and George said in tandem. Harry shrugged and looked at Ginny who was glaring at her twin brothers, though Harry could not imagine why.

"Now" Harry and Ginny both said.

Fred and George smiled, throwing a large box with a large W on the side. Harry, at first weary of opening it, but when he and Ginny opened it, he realized that it wasn't one of their jokes. Or maybe it was one. All that was in the box was a folded up piece of parchment. He opened one end and a little piece of parchment fell out of it. Ginny picked up the parchment and held it in front of her and Harry.

"You know how to open it" the parchment read. Harry smiled and together with Ginny thanked the twins for his birthday present, carefully not telling anybody what the twins got them. Ginny just continued sitting right next to him, holding his hand discreetly and smiling at the parchment.

"Here, Harry. Ron and I got this for you" Hermione said. Not even wondering why Hermione and Ron teamed up to get him a gift, he opened the gift to see a large book titled "_Everything You Need To Know about Being a Quidditch Captain"._

"Thanks you guys, this is awesome" Harry said happily.

"Here, Harry, this is from me" Lupin told him, handing Harry a package in the form of a book. Harry opened it and he was shocked to see what it was. The book was titled "_The Guide to Shields and Magical Protections._"

"Thanks Moony, knowing my luck at school, I will need to use this many times next year" Harry said casually.

"You know, Piniks, I bought you this so you would hopefully stay out of trouble at school" Moony told him condescendingly, though a grin was threatening to burst onto his face.

"Well, Piniks, maybe you should open ours next" Sirius told him.

"Yeah, Harry, this one is from me and Sirius" Lauren said, tossing Harry a small package. Harry opened the present and he found a pocket sized notebook, but the title was what Harry was truly amused by.

"_The Key to Getting Out Of Detention_?" Ginny asked, reading the notebook from Harry's side. But, unable to help themselves, Harry and Ginny burst out laughing. They were soon followed by Lupin, Charlie, Bill, Fred and George. All of them were shocked that Sirius got something like that for Harry, but Lupin really wondered why he was surprised.

"You know, Mrs. Padfoot, sometimes I wonder how you always got out of detention. Now I know how, I have to ask. Why didn't you help us?" Lupin asked, glaring at Lauren.

"Come on, Moony, as often as you guys were in detention, that was the time where Lily, Audrey, and I got to talk about you boys and all the stupid things you did" Lauren told him. Harry noticed Lupin's blush and noticed Lupin's normally composed persona turn dark instantly.

"Remus, I'm sorry, it just slipped out" Lauren whispered, her head hanging.

"It's fine, let's just move on" Lupin snapped, not willing to look up from the floor. Seeing Lauren call Remus by his birth name and not by his marauder name was something that Harry caught, and he looked up at his ex defense against the dark arts professor, seeing the guilt high on his face.

"Well, Harry, how about you open ours next" Bill suggested, gesturing toward him and Percy. Harry nodded and had to react quickly when Bill tossed him a present that felt like it weighed twenty-five pounds at the least. Harry opened it and saw that it was in fact, a collection of textbooks, five volumes.

"What is this, Bill?" Harry asked.

"This is a collection of textbooks that we bought in my first year at Hogwarts. Bill had told me about how boring Binns is in class. At first, before I got to Hogwarts, I just thought Bill was exaggerating, but once I got there, I found out that he was actually understating the obvious" Percy said.

"Harry this, is all five volumes of _The Complete History of Magic_. It is everything that you will learn from Binns, and trust me, it is a lot more fun than listening to him" Bill explained.

"I found this collection so helpful, I took it to class every day and while Binns was talking, I was reading this, and eventually I began enjoying going to History of Magic every day" Percy said.

"Thank you guys; I think I will actually stay awake in class for once" Harry said, smiling slightly.

"Well, not every day, Harry, but trust me, it helps" Bill said, a knowing smile on his face.

"Well, even if I don't read it instead of sleeping through Binns like everybody else, I will definitely read it in my free time" Harry said.

"Alright, Harry, I guess we're next" Arthur said.

"This is from both of us and Sirius as well" Mrs. Weasley pointed out as Harry grabbed an envelope from Mr. Weasley's hand. Harry opened it and a small ticket popped out.

"1 ticket to the Quidditch World Cup on august 22nd, 1994" Harry read, almost forgetting to breathe. He only remembered to breathe when Ginny hit his back a few times.

"Is this for real?" Harry managed to ask.

"You got it, Piniks, it's all real. I can't go, I start work with the Auror office on the 22nd, so you are going to go with the Weasleys" Sirius told him. Harry just stared from the ticket to Mr. and Mrs. Weasley to Sirius and back again. He only stopped when he felt Ginny run her fingers across his hand. He gave her a look of thanks and looked back to the group sitting in front of him, giving Mr. and Mrs. Weasley and Sirius a quick thank you.

"Well, that's going to be really tough to overcome, but I'll give it a shot" Charlie said, tossing Harry a small soft present.

Harry opened the present to see a pair of seeker's gloves.

"Harry, those are the gloves that I wore in every match that I won leading up to the four Gryffindor Quidditch Titles from 1987-1990 and in 1991 when we set the record for most points in a game. Now, I pass them on to you, and I hope that you can do better" Charlie said.

"Hold on, Wood told us that you never even shook hands with the other captain with these gloves on. You had one glove off and you put it on after the handshake" Fred shouted.

"Yeah, you didn't even let mum wash them for you! It was like those gloves were your babies" George agreed.

"And now you are giving them away to Harry?" they asked in tandem.

"Yeah, I am" Charlie said, smiling slightly.

"Brilliant" the twins said.

"Just take care of them, Harry. I thought they were going into retirement about midway through my 7th year, but these old things still have some tricks left in them. Just do me a huge favor though. While you are wearing the gloves for Quidditch, don't let the memory of Charlie Weasley die" Charlie said, a sarcastic smirk appearing on his face. Everybody who had ever seen Charlie play Quidditch knew they would never forget him, and Charlie knew it.

"Alright, Harry, I guess it's time for mine" Ginny whispered, blushing deeply. It didn't help her blush when Harry smiled but she still handed him a small package. Harry opened it and he found a golden snitch. There was also a note in the box, which Harry took.

"This snitch is magically enhanced to move three times as fast as a normal snitch. I got Grindlewald to do the charm himself so we know it won't fail. Now you have a way to become better than Charlie" Harry read. The note was clearly in Ginny's handwriting and he gave her a small smile.

"Thank you for everything, everybody. Best birthday ever" Harry told everybody, a smile on his face so big that for once it was like he was a normal teenager, not somebody being trained by Gellart Grindlewald in hopes that he won't die when he finally faces Lord Voldemort.

"We're not done yet, Harry" Hermione piped up.

"Yeah, we've still got to eat some cake" Ron said, eying the cake hungrily. Laughing slightly, Harry motioned for Sirius to go and get the cake.

The cake, specially made by Mrs. Weasley, was strawberry with vanilla frosting and easily large enough for thirty people.

Everybody had their fill of cake, and there was still enough left for it seemed like three more parties. When everybody was done with the cake, the party slowly started to die down. When everybody was done with their own piece of cake, they wished Harry one last happy birthday and proceeded to leave.

Eventually, everybody who was left was Harry, Ginny, Ron, and Hermione. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley went back to the Burrow, leaving Ron, Hermione, and Ginny at Grimmauld Place at the insistence of Bill and Charlie, who had gone out for a drink. Sirius and Lauren had gone upstairs, Harry telling them to put up silencing charms before they did anything. Lupin was also gone, needing to get back to his own house. Percy claimed that he had to get home and get some sleep, saying something about an interview in the morning. The twins wished Harry one last happy birthday before they also rushed home to "help" Percy.

"Thank you guys" Harry said, specifically directing it to his three best friends, though they all waved it off.

"Don't mention it, mate, you've earned this and more after all that you've done for everybody" Ron told him.

"Yeah, Harry, with you-know-who always coming after you, anybody else would have cracked under the pressure, but not you" Hermione told him.

"Come on, Hermione, you've always been better at magic than me" Harry argued.

"Please, books and petty knowledge? Sure, I do better in tests, but who has always done better in real life?" Hermione asked him.

"You have, mate, you have done some extraordinary things, not in class like Hermione, but at the end of the year, every year, when people are trying to kill you, you are the one who saves everybody" Ron told him.

"You were the one who saved the sorcerer's stone from you-know-who back in our first year" Hermione told him.

"You were the one who saved me from you-know-who in your second year, killing a basilisk and killing you-know-who with a giant puncture wound on your arm" Ginny told him.

"You were the one who saved everybody from over a hundred Dementors last year" Ron agreed.

"But I always had so much help!" Harry argued.

"Shut it, Harry, you have always done everything for everybody" Hermione reminded him.

"You might be right, but I think you all deserve to know why I have gotten better at magic in the past year, and why I am taking my O.W.L. exams next year" Harry told her. Ginny gave him a knowing look and he gave her a small smile.

"What do you want to tell us?" Hermione asked.

"Yeah mate, you can trust us" Ron agreed.

"Not tell you, show you" Ginny said, smiling at her boyfriend. Ron and Hermione followed Harry and Ginny up to Harry's room and Harry opened up his trunk.

"Where are we going, Harry?" Hermione asked.

"We are going into my dueling chamber that is in my trunk" Harry told her. Before she could ask anything Harry jumped into his trunk, disappearing from view. Ginny followed right after her boyfriend. Ron gave Hermione a shrug and followed after his sister with Hermione coming right after.

When all four of them were in Harry's trunk, everybody looked around to see that there was one room on the far side of the dueling chamber. Harry took one step forward and the door was thrown open seemingly with enough force do derail the Hogwarts Express. When a hooded man in a black cloak came out of the room, the four students took a step back out of pure instinct.

"Potter, I gave you the day off today for a reason" the hooded man snapped.

"Sorry, sir, but you are the one who told me that I should tell my friends about you. I thought it would be best to show them" Harry said. The hooded man groaned and pulled his hood back, revealing Gellart Grindlewald.

"Who are you?" Ron asked.

"Gellart Grindlewald" Grindlewald said, obvious by his stare that he wasn't too happy being forced to explain himself. It was obvious by the look on Hermione's face that she didn't believe him. Ron and Ginny weren't that far behind.

"Is this some kind of a joke, Harry?" Hermione asked.

"No, I thought it was at first too, but Dumbledore confirmed it" Harry told her.

"Hold on just one minute. You told me that you had a teacher, and now you expect me to believe that for the past year you have been getting trained by the one and only Gellart Grindlewald?" Ginny asked.

"Come on, mate, this is crazy, even for you" Ron told him.

"Gellart Grindlewald is over a century old and he has been trapped in Nurmengard since 1945 when Dumbledore beat him in the greatest duel in history. This guy looks like he's fifteen" Hermione argued.

"Yeah, how do you look so young, sir?" Harry asked.

"Some things are better left unsaid. But I assure you; everything I have done has been done for the greater good" Grindlewald told them. While that was good enough for Harry, Hermione wasn't buying it at all.

"That's impossible, if any of this was true, why wouldn't Dumbledore have sent you to prison or killed you after he beat you?" Hermione asked.

"Dumbledore and I have been best friends for a century. He doesn't want to fight me again" Grindlewald told her.

"Hold on, Hermione, if Grindlewald is as evil as you think, why isn't Harry dead yet? Why hasn't Grindlewald killed him yet?" Ginny asked.

"He isn't as evil as people make him out to be. Grindlewald has actually helped me more than anybody" Harry said. However, Ron had been silent for the greater part of the conversations, so Ginny urged him to say anything.

"Why are you training Harry?" Ron asked.

"I don't want to see him die when he finally faces Voldemort" Grindlewald said simply.

"Why don't you kill Voldemort yourself?" Ron asked. Though it was a simple question, it was one that Harry, Ginny, or even Hermione had thought to ask.

"Mr. Weasley, you are so like your brother. And like your brother I have the same answer for you" Grindlewald said.

"And that is?" Ron asked.

"While I am sure that I could beat Voldemort, it is Harry that has to end it. If you don't know why it has to be Harry, then you will find out before too long" Grindlewald said, a calculating grin appearing on his face.

"I hope you all know that I am not going to fight. I am going to train Harry. All I can say is that you all need to do is live your lives as normal, but don't forget that the ultimate weapon that you four have is your friendship. Your friendship is the one thing that nobody can take away from you. Don't forget that" Grindlewald said. Ignoring the looks of confusion that he got from the faces of Harry, Ginny, Ron, and Hermione, Grindlewald just glared at the four people in front of him.

"Now, get out. Potter, I will see you at 6:00 AM tomorrow morning" Grindlewald said as he turned around and went back into his personal chamber before slamming the door once again. Harry turned to his friends and grabbed Ginny's hand. Ginny, noticing Harry's gaze grabbed Hermione's hand and Hermione grabbed Ron's hand.

"Hold on tight" Harry said, pulling out his wand a muttering an incantation. Before anybody else knew it, they were propelled up and out of the trunk. Harry, unable to keep himself and his friends off the ground any longer, let his spell off after they all cleared the edge of the trunk, causing the Fab Four to crash onto the ground of Harry's room with a thud.

"Wow, he wasn't happy" Ron mentioned after he dusted himself off.

"He's never happy" Harry told him simply, shutting his trunk and helping Ginny up.

"Well Harry, this has been a lot to take in. I'm sure you won't mind if Ron and I go back to the Burrow to soak this in?" Hermione asked.

"Not at all, see you at Ginny's party" Harry said, giving his two friends a hug goodbye, secretly happy that she didn't mention Ginny going with them. When Ron and Hermione were gone, Harry turned to a confused Ginny and just smiled.

"I think we get some time for ourselves, Gin" Harry said happily. He went back over to his bed and sat down. Ginny came over and sat down next to him, curling up into his arm before pulling a blanket over them again.

Covered in a blanket as well as right next to each other, Harry and Ginny couldn't help but feel sleep beginning to approach them. Ginny rested her head on Harry's shoulder while Harry rested his head on Ginny's head. Sleep found the two young Gryffindors within seconds, though that wasn't Harry or Ginny's plan.

* * *

><p>Sirius walked down to the fireplace to see that he was getting a call from Mrs. Weasley from the Burrow.<p>

"Hello, Molly, what do you need?" Sirius asked.

"Sirius, Ginny isn't home yet, can you send her home please?" Mrs. Weasley asked. Sirius nodded and walked upstairs to Harry's room. He knocked on the door and when no response came, he opened it slowly.

When Sirius walked into the room, he saw Harry and Ginny sitting on Harry's bed, asleep. Having to stifle a laugh, Sirius walked out of the room and he went to his bedroom, grabbing Lauren and telling her to grab a camera quickly. She did, not even wondering what he was up to and she followed Sirius to Harry's room.

When she saw Harry sleeping with his girlfriend on his bed while sitting, Lauren stifled a laugh and Sirius smirked at her. She smiled at him and took a picture of the two asleep before Sirius sent a small spell at the two minors to wake them up, when they were slowly stirring, Lauren snapped another few pictures.

Only then did Harry and Ginny realize what had happened. They had been caught sleeping together by Sirius and Lauren.

Harry and Ginny quickly opened their mouths to try and explain themselves, but Sirius quickly waved it off.

"Ginny, your mother wants you to come home" Lauren told her.

"I know you must hate that you guys have to leave this oh so amusing position, but I'm afraid you have to. Oh, and by the way, Harry, next time, just remember one thing. You have a wand; use it" Sirius told his godson. Harry looked up at Sirius in confusion before the "guardian" left with his girlfriend.

Sighing, Harry began to move the blanket away but Ginny stopped him.

"Ginny, your mom is waiting" Harry told her as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"I know, but before I go, I just want to see Fred and George's present first" Ginny told him, smiling and putting his hand on the parchment. Harry took out his wand and pointed it at the parchment.

"I solemnly swear that I am up to no good" Harry whispered. Words began to appear on the parchment and Harry smirked at what they said.

_Messrs Gred and Forge  
>Purveyors of Aids to Magical Mischief-Makers<br>After Only Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs_

_Are proud to present  
>THE MARAUDER'S MAP<em>

When another small piece of parchment came out, Ginny picked it up and read it to Harry.

"Ginny and Harry; this map, much like the original, is of all the grounds at the Burrow. We never would have been able to do this without the help of Moony and Padfoot themselves. Anyways, use it wisely, Gred and Forge" Ginny read.

"I wonder what they think we are going to use this for" Harry pondered.

"Isn't it obvious, Harry?" Ginny asked. Harry gave her a look that said that it was definitely not obvious.

"Oh Harry, you are so dense. They are helping us to get away and have some time for ourselves at the Burrow. This way we will know when people are coming so if we are doing something, we can stop without needing to come up with a story like we usually do. This is why they had us open it before you come over on my birthday" Ginny told him.

"That's ingenious" Harry muttered once he got over his little bout of disbelief. Part of the disbelief was at Fred and George giving them something so useful and part of his disbelief was directed at Ginny actually being smart enough to figure that out.

"Glad you think so, hero" Ginny teased. Harry winced at the nickname and Ginny hugged him a little tighter than usual. She let him go quickly and pulled him off the bed and down to the fireplace, knowing that if she stayed much longer, her mum was going to destroy something.

"Well, I guess I'll see you at your party, Gin" Harry said.

"You don't think you can come over sooner?" Ginny asked, looking up into the green eyes of her fourteen year old boyfriend.

"I don't think so, Gin. Grindlewald hasn't been very happy lately, even by his standards. I don't even know what's going on with him" Harry told her.

"I wouldn't worry about it, Harry. I will see you on my birthday, okay?" Ginny said, giving him a small smile that Harry knew she didn't mean.

"Come on, Gin, don't be like that, I promise, if I have any free time between now and your birthday I will come over, okay?" Harry told her.

"Okay, but you owe me, hero" Ginny said, smiling slightly. Harry laughed and gave her a small kiss goodbye before she walked into the fireplace and flood to the Burrow.

Ignoring everything else on his way up to his room, Harry shut his door and went to bed, knowing he had to get up early again tomorrow and knowing full well that he would not get to see Ginny until her birthday.

* * *

><p>The day after Harry's birthday, Sirius went to Gringotts to meet with Bill. He walked in the front door and saw Bill waiting for him.<p>

"Sirius, thank you for coming; I know what you're thinking, but I am not here to talk to you about your bank accounts" Bill told him.

"Then what do you need to talk to me about?" Sirius asked, his eyes narrowing at the redhead.

"First off, your motorcycle is in your personal vault. Hagrid put it there" Bill told him.

"You said you weren't here to talk about my bank accounts, Bill. Get to the point" Sirius told him. Bill smirked and ushered for Sirius to go on a walk with him.

"I won't lie to you, Sirius. I am here to talk to you about Harry and Ginny" Bill said simply once they were out in the crowd of Diagon Alley.

"What about them? Don't tell me you are trying to break them up" Sirius begged him.

"No, I am just trying to think about how they are going to spend time together when they are home from holidays" Bill said.

"I don't follow" Sirius admitted.

"Mum is going to try and break them up at every turn. Ginny will be thirteen in a few weeks and Harry just turned fourteen. Mum thinks that is way too young" Bill explained.

"The only way seems to get them away from Molly, but that's easier said than done" Sirius said, knowing how Molly Weasley acts.

"But the trouble with that is getting them away. Mum doesn't like it when things don't go her way. She has been trying to break them up since the beginning and now I think she is going to start taking it up a notch" Bill said.

"Is there any way to get them away from your mum for extended periods of time?" Sirius asked.

"Hopefully by the holidays she will be willing to let Ginny go over to Grimmauld Place. I don't really see it happening though" Bill said sadly.

"I will think of that, but for now, I will go get my motorcycle and I will think about this. We have four months until they come for winter holidays, so we have time" Sirius said, turning back toward Gringotts.

"I leave for Egypt right after Ginny's birthday, so I won't be able to help. I just wanted to make sure you were aware of this issue" Bill said to the older man.

"Thanks, I will try to think of something, but the trouble is getting around Molly Weasley" Sirius remarked. Bill laughed and muttered his agreement.

"Good luck, between you, Moony, Gred and Forge, I think you four can solve this problem easily" Bill joked.

"We'll do our best, that's for sure" Sirius said, the traditional marauder grin tattooing his face.

"Let's just hope mum doesn't break them up first" Bill muttered, barely loud enough for Sirius to hear. At that note, the two men went their separate ways, the same topic weighing heavily on both of their minds.

* * *

><p>Harry and Grindlewald were boxing at about 1:40 in the morning the day of Ginny's birthday, working on Harry's boxing form when Grindlewald hit a light uppercut that brushed Harry's left cheek, but it also knocked his glasses off. Not being able to see, Harry couldn't block the big right fist that came from Grindlewald.<p>

When Harry was renovated by Grindlewald a few seconds later, he looked up to see a frustrated yet almost amused Grindlewald.

"Well, I think we need to do something about that vision of yours, Potter" Grindlewald said. Grindlewald looked amused as he pulled his wand out and healed all of Harry's injuries from the fight. Harry stood up and Grindlewald pointed his wand at Harry's eyes. The blonde wizard cast an incantation and Harry could see perfectly with no glasses.

"Tell me how well you can see" Grindlewald told him.

"Perfectly, sir, thank you" Harry answered.

"Well, it wouldn't do for you to get killed because Voldemort knocked your glasses off, now would it?" Grindlewald replied, still slightly amused by Harry's lack of vision.

"But sir, I am curious about something. How is it that you improved my eyesight by magic? Hermione looked it up after my first Quidditch practice in the rain and she found that improving eyesight was impossible with magic" Harry told him.

"When one is the Master of Death, one can do incredible things" Grindlewald said cryptically, turning and walking away, into his quarters again.

Looking at the time and seeing that it was almost 2:00 in the morning, Harry then got into his bed and tried to sleep though he failed, tossing and turning in his bed, attempting to sleep all the way until 4:00 in the morning. Harry rolled his eyes and put his glasses on, before remembering that he didn't need them anymore. He then got dressed to go for a run around his personal Quidditch pitch. Harry went for his run and took a shower in his trunk before going downstairs, wondering if Ginny was up yet. It was almost 5:30 in the morning and Harry didn't want to floo over before Ginny got up.

"Maybe I should ask Sirius what I should do" Harry thought. But then it hit him; Sirius. Harry wrote a quick note to Sirius that said that he was going to go to go to Ginny's house and he ran quietly up into his room, closing the door. Harry took a deep breath and turned into his phoenix Animagus form. He took another deep breath and a flame engulfed him.

After three failed attempts at flaming to the Burrow, Harry finally was able to flame into Ginny's room, noticing that she was still asleep in her bed. Harry turned back into a human and landed with a thud on the ground, though the thud was not loud enough for Ginny to wake up. In fact, it almost sounded like it was just one of the usual small explosions that came from the twins' room on a regular basis to everybody who even heard the small thud.

Harry walked slowly toward Ginny, smiling as he looked onto her sleeping form. He smiled and bent down to give his girlfriend her first kiss of her teenage years. The kiss woke Ginny up and when she looked up and saw Harry standing over her, she rubbed her eyes, not believing it. When Harry was still standing over her after rubbing her eyes, she blushed deeply, not quite thinking it was real.

"Harry, I'm not dreaming?" Ginny asked, her blush receding slightly.

"No, I'm really here" Harry told her, smiling at his tired girlfriend.

"What time is it?" Ginny asked.

"5:30" Harry said, looking at his watch.

"Why are you here so early?" Ginny asked, sitting up and pulling the blanket up with her.

"Well, I got done working with Grindlewald at about 2 this morning, and spent two hours trying to sleep before getting up to go for a run. Then I decided to come over here and surprise you" Harry said.

"So you didn't sleep at all last night?" Ginny asked.

"No, I tried but I just couldn't sleep" Harry told her. Ginny gasped and looked over at him. Ginny then pulled her blanket back and beckoned for Harry who just looked at her with confusion. Ginny groaned softly and pulled Harry down to the bed before pulling the lone blanket up to cover her again. Ginny then moved slightly, so she was resting her head on Harry's shoulder with Harry's arm around her.

"Go to sleep, Harry" Ginny whispered, closing her eyes. Harry, however, seemed like he was about to have a heart attack.

"Ginny, we can't sleep together" Harry told her, causing Ginny to frown and open her eyes. She looked into his green eyes and couldn't resist a small smile from appearing on her face. Even though Harry looked like he hadn't slept in days, Ginny could still see the true resolve of a hero in his eyes.

"Harry, we aren't going to do anything, just sleep. Besides, nobody is going to get up for a few hours, so we have time" Ginny told him.

"But Ginny, what if somebody catches us like this? I don't even want to think about what your mum would do. Sirius already caught us doing something similar to this and we weren't even trying to do anything. I don't want anything to possibly hurt the relationship that you have with your family" Harry told her.

"Harry, don't worry, even if we do get caught, which we won't, it doesn't matter what anybody else thinks, because we know the truth and that's all that matters" Ginny told him.

"I just don't want to cause any problems" Harry said quietly, gazing into the brown eyes of his girlfriend.

"You won't, hero. Now please get some sleep, you need it. You look like you haven't slept in days" Ginny told him.

"Are you saying I look bad?" Harry asked, frowning slightly. Ginny rolled her eyes and hit his chest before smiling and curling into Harry's body.

"Just go to sleep, hero" Ginny told him. Biting back a retort before sighing, Harry relented and closed his eyes for sleep.

Seconds later, Harry and Ginny were asleep, in each other's arms, truly happy, and their sleep was filled with happy dreams for once, not nightmares.

* * *

><p>Ginny woke up the morning of her birthday feeling well rested after her first sleep without nightmares since her unexpected nap with Harry on Harry's birthday. She rubbed her eyes and looked to see the green eyed Wizarding hero sleeping to the side of her.<p>

It just then dawned to Ginny that she had used Harry's shoulder as a pillow again and she hadn't had nightmares again. It was the one time that Ginny hadn't had nightmares since Harry's birthday. Ginny looked down at Harry, sleeping below her, his arm wrapped around her protectively.

To Ginny, it was like living in one of her dreams, one of the ones she had before the Chamber of Secrets in her first year. The dreams were of Harry Potter, the boy who lived, the vanquisher of the dark lord. But the more that Ginny thought about it, she realized how far off that she really was before meeting Harry. He was a hero, especially to Ginny, saving her life once already. But he was more than that too. Ginny now knew Harry as being one of the nicest, the most selfless, and one of the most humble people she knew. That was why her crush was moved from a crush on the icon to a crush on the person.

Ginny looked down at Harry and realized how much she had learned from him. She also realized how much he had helped her cope with the Chamber, even if he didn't know he was doing it. Just by holding her, Harry had kept Tom away from Ginny's dreams.

"This can't be just a coincidence" Ginny muttered, looking at how peaceful Harry looked when asleep. But despite how happy Ginny was, she knew that they wouldn't be able to stay for very much longer, so she put her head back on Harry's shoulder and curled into him, feeling the warmth that Harry was radiating, finally closing her eyes and allowing sleep to claim her once again.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: I know I promised the end of the summer in this chapter, but I had to split up this chapter because it was so long. On the bright side, the next chapter is well on the way, and it will start by Harry and Ginny together. I wish I could have put the whole summer in two chapters instead of three, but it just couldn't happen. The chapters would have been way too long. Part of me thinks that even 10000 word chapters are too long. Either way, I am truly happy with how I am doing in this story and I hope my readers are too. I hope you will review and tell me what you think I am doing well, what I can do better, anything.<strong>

**There is one other thing that I need to address. I currently don't have a beta, and with the length of this story increasing steadily, I think it would be a good idea for me to get a beta, so if anybody knows anybody who might be interested in being a beta for me. I have tried to do most of the beta work myself, but I am not perfect, I am just attempting to improve my writing.**

**But I know that the next chapter really will end the summer and take us into Harry's fourth year, with the Goblet of Fire appearing. What is Dumbledore going to say about Sirius getting Harry out of Privet Drive? Ginny's birthday will also be in the next chapter, as well as Harry and Ginny's one year anniversary. Harry has to keep training with Grindlewald. He is running out of time before his 8/27 deadline.**

arrHa


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